Broken Wings
by TracyT
Summary: Sam's gone missing after being traumatized on a mission
1. Chapter 1

Broken Wings (sequel to Wings) Part 1

By Tracy

Summary: Sam's missing

Category: Romance

Season: Seven

Pairing Jack/Sam

Rating: PG-13/NC-17

Parts: Part 1/19

Feedback to: (PLEASE!)

Archive: Yes, please

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters do not belong to me in any way (darn it!). They belong officially to MGM, Gekko Productions, and Double Secret Productions. No profit will be made on this piece. It was a labor of love.

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She was dreaming she was in an old bi-plane, flying high in the clouds, and the joy of it took her breath away. She turned her head to smile at her co-pilot, who looked very much like a certain commanding officer of hers, then she was falling, falling, and awoke with a gasp.

"Geez, baby, I'm sorry! Dammit!" Pete had shaken her awake, and she found herself on her sofa, a book clutched to her chest, still wearing the dress she'd worn at her birthday party the night before.

Pete ran a harried hand through his hair. "I am so sorry, hon. I went in and waited for you, and I must have fallen asleep on the bed." He plopped down on the couch next to her. "And I had plans for us, too." He was almost pouting. "Now there's only time for me to take a quick shower and get back to Denver. Dammit!"

Sam smiled and put a hand on his arm. "Don't worry about it. We were both tired after the party. After all, I fell asleep here." When that didn't seem to cheer him up much, she added, "You can make it up to me next weekend, okay?"

He glanced at her sadly. "Well, okay, I guess it'll have to wait, but I can still give you your present." He held out his hand and gave her a small, wrapped box.

Sam took it. It looked suspiciously like a jeweler's box. Her eyes widened. "Pete…?" If this was what she thought it was, it was waaaayyy too soon.

Pete grinned. "It's not what you think. Not that 'what you think' might not be coming in the very near future, but not this time."

Sam smiled, somewhat relieved. She opened the box to find a gold pendant in the shape of a heart with a small ruby in the middle. Surrounding the ruby were four small diamonds. She held up the gold chain to admire it.

"Pete, it's beautiful!" She leaned over and kissed him.

"Here, let me put it on you." He took the pendant and looped the chain around her neck. Sam put a hand to it and turned back to him.

"Thank you. I love it." She kissed him and he leaned in, cupping the back of her head to deepen the kiss. After a moment, Pete groaned and broke free.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit! Honey, I gotta go." His eyes and voice were pleading.

Sam sighed. "I know. Go take your shower." Grumbling, Pete heaved himself off the sofa and stomped into the bedroom.

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Jack reached down onto the console for the Styrofoam cup of coffee, and took a long gulp. It was 6:20, just enough time to make it to the mountain, having taken a detour to the closest gas station/convenience store first.

His phone rang and he grabbed the ear piece, placing it in his ear before checking the caller ID. Smiling, he answered by saying smoothly, "And did we have a good birthday?"

"We did," there was a definite smile in her voice. "Thank you for my gift, by the way. I love it."

"You're very welcome."

"One of the best gifts of all."

"Really."

"I have to say your's and Pete's were my favorite, although everyone's gifts were great."

His eyebrows rose above the level of his sunglasses. Gee, he rated up there with the boyfriend? "Wow, that's high praise. If only I'd known how much you like old junk."

"It's NOT old junk and you know it." She sounded like he'd insulted her first born.

He grinned. "Well, I have to admit, I thought it was pretty cool, and I hoped you'd like it, too. Glad you did."

"It was VERY cool."

"Hey, you on your way in?" He wondered if 'lover boy' had delayed her this morning.

"Just leaving the house."

"See you there."

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The Gate billowed open. As soon as it settled into the smooth event horizon, Sam burst through and ran down the ramp, Jack in hot pursuit.

"Carter!" She didn't even pause. "Carter!" Once again, she kept moving as if something or someone was after her.

"Dammit, Carter, STOP! That's a direct order!" He bellowed.

She stopped in her tracks, her fists clenched at her sides, but refused to turn and look at him.

Daniel and Teal'c emerged from the Gate, holding a young Tok'ra between them. Several other, heavily armed Tok'ra followed.

"Infirmary. NOW!" Jack's voice rang against the walls.

"Jack…" Daniel began. O'Neill held up a hand, and Daniel fell silent looking toward Sam.

She nodded and he barely heard her quiet "yes, sir."

"Colonel, what's going on?" General Hammond demanded.

Jack kept an eye on Carter, making sure she headed in the direction of the infirmary, before answering.

"It was Ba'al, sir. He ambushed us a day after we arrived. He took us all prisoner, then took Carter and Jalen," He gestured behind him at the young Tok'ra. "They were away from us for two days." His mouth tightened at the memory. "When they were brought back to us, they were both pretty shaken, but not many injuries. Neither one has told us what happened. If it weren't for the Tok'ra , I don't know how we'd have ever gotten out of there."

"And Ba'al?"

"He got away, too, sir, I'm sorry to say. No telling what he did to them while he had them."

"Well, from your past experience with Ba'al, can we assume they were subjected to some kind of torture?"

"I don't doubt it, sir. He really gets his jollies from torture. But why Carter? Why Jalen?" They never touched the rest of us, just those two. Why?"

The General turned toward the general direction Carter had gone, then looked back at Jack. "It's possible he would have gotten around to the rest of you eventually, but only Major Carter or Jalen can tell us what happened to them."

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"Gone? What do you mean, gone?" Jack's voice rose several decibels, and the new doctor, Dr. Martin, blinked several times before replying. Martin was a small, round man who was balding and wore horn-rimmed glasses, almost a bookend for Dr. Lee.

"Her physical wounds were minor, there was no indication of sexual assault, so I had no reason to keep her here, Colonel. Dr. McKenzie felt that her request to sleep in her own home tonight was not unreasonable. He told her to be back first thing in the morning and he would talk with her further."

"You did read the report? You do realize what she's been through?" He'd moved closer to the doctor, so that now he was towering over him menacingly. Ba'al could have done anything to Sam, put her in the sarcophagus and no trace of it would be evident later.

"Ye…Yes, Colonel, but as I say, Dr. McKenzie felt it would do her some good to get away from the base for the night."

"McKenzie's a damned idiot."

Jack knew Sam well enough to know she'd probably kept a tight lid on anything that might interest McKenzie in order to get off the mountain. He opened his mouth to royally chew their new physician's ass, then decided better of it. It would do no good to point out that it would have to be a cold day in hell before Janet Fraiser would have allowed Sam to step one foot outside the infirmary after what she'd been through, but Janet, rest her, was not here. He glared one more time at Martin, which triggered a new round of blinking, and left.

Striding down the corridor on the way to his office, he pulled his cell from his pocket and hit the speed dial. Carter's phone rang three times before the answering machine kicked in. He listened to the message and the prerequisite beep before saying,"Carter, if you're there, pick up." Nothing. "Carter, it's O'Neill. Pick up." He was just about to hang up when he heard the click.

"Yes, sir?" Her voice was slightly muffled, from crying or sleep he couldn't tell.

He had been going to tell her in no uncertain terms that she had no business leaving the mountain, had scared the hell out of him, but instead said softly, "Hey, Sam. You okay?"

There was a slight pause before she replied shakily, "I'm fine, sir."

"Mmm," he grunted. I would have been happier if you'd stayed here in the infirmary awhile, you know."

"Dr. McKenzie released me for the night. Besides, I…couldn't. It was too much like…"

"Oh. Yeah." The place Ba'al had held them had been underground as well. "Well, McKenzie's got you off rotation for the next few days. Listen, if you need anything, or want to talk…"

"Really, sir, I just want to sleep."

He nodded. "Okay. Understandable. You have my number, though, if you want…"

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

"No matter what time it is, day or night, just call, okay?"

"I…I will, sir. Thanks."

He'd reached his office and threw the phone on the desk, dropping into his chair. He ran a hand over his face wearily. What a mess. They'd gone to rendezvous with a Tok'ra cell who had new information on Anubis, and fell right into a trap. They'd met up with Jalen, who was to lead them to the Tok'ra, and then all hell had broken loose. Ba'al's men had been tipped off and were waiting for them.

Once they'd been taken down into an old re-opened Tok'ra tunnel, they were all thrown into a room with a force field over the door. Ba'al himself had appeared and Jack had not been able to suppress the shudder that had gone through him at the sight. Ba'al had smiled.

"Ah yes, O'Neill, I remember you. You made an intriguing plaything. It might be amusing to take up where we left off, but that will have to wait. I have something else in mind today." He quickly indicated Sam and Jalen to his men. "Those two, bring them to me." He then swept from the room.

"No!" Jack tried to stop them from taking Sam. "Take me instead. Ba'al and I are old friends." As he said this he tried to keep himself between the men and Sam, but got himself zatted in the process. When he was finally able to move, Sam and Jalen were gone.

What followed was two days of hell, imagining what Ba'al was doing to them. Jack was nearly out of his mind at the thought that Sam was going through any of what he'd experienced at Ba'al's hands. Daniel and Teal'c were obviously worried, too. They kept looking as far down the corridor where Sam and Jalen had been taken as they could, then looking to him. He couldn't let on to any of what he was feeling. If Ba'al had any idea of his feelings for Sam, they could use it against her and it would just make it worse.

He tried to keep a tight reign on his emotions, but when the guards finally dragged the semi-conscious bodies of Sam and Jalen back and dropped them onto the floor of the alcove directly across from the others, he couldn't help calling out "Sam!" in a ragged voice.

Jalen had fainted and was lying motionless on the floor, Sam had fallen with her back to them, but Jack could see she was shaking.

"Sam, Sam talk to me." He heard the pleading note in his voice. Dammit, they'd put her where he couldn't get to her. She didn't move or acknowledge the others, but he thought he heard her sniffle.

"Sam, are you okay?" Daniel called out softly. No response.

Suddenly she was up on all fours and crawling toward the far corner of the alcove, where she began to vomit. They could hear her retching and sobbing, and Jack called out to her again.

"Sam, Sam…it's going to be okay." His voice sounded odd even to him. Daniel had squatted down on the floor and was holding his folded arms over his bowed head. Jack looked to Teal'c and saw tears in his eyes. They all felt helpless to do anything for her, and despite what he told her, Jack knew it was certainly NOT going to be okay, especially as he recalled the guards words as they left:

"We will begin again soon."

Soon her sobs faded, and the retching stopped, mostly due to the fact that she had nothing left to expel from her body. She was breathing heavily and had lowered herself to the floor again with her back to the others. She was still shaking, and had her arms wrapped around herself.

"Sam…" he called out once again, but she refused to acknowledge him. Soon her breathing slowed and he didn't know if she slept or had fainted like Jalen.

They heard footsteps and he was sure it was the guards coming to take Sam and Jalen again. He frantically tried to think of a way to stop them, but he was helpless against the force field over the doorway.

To his very great relief he saw three heavily-armed Tok'ra coming around the corner, and the sound of weapons fire down the hall. It was the contingent of Tok'ra they had originally set out to meet, coming to their rescue.

Their leader, Arden, deactivated the force fields to both cells, and gestured to them. "You must get to the Stargate as quickly as possible. We will hold them off as long as we can."

Sam was on her feet, her face white as chalk. As soon as they were released Jack, Daniel and Teal'c all went to her immediately. She shook her head, backing away, her hand up as if to fend them off, her voice wretched as she cried out,

"Don't touch me."

At the sound of her voice the three men stopped in their tracks. Sam brushed past all of them and ran from the room.

"Carter! Carter wait!" Jack called after her, but she was running toward the entrance as fast as she could run. He ran after her, but she was already through and running for the gate.

Sighing, he leaned back in his chair. He should have made sure she stayed in the infirmary. When she ran, she wasn't just trying to get to the gate quickly, there was an edge of hysteria to it. She was running from what had happened to her, running from them, her teammates as well.

He picked up his stapler and threw it as hard as he could against the opposite wall, where it exploded into several pieces and fell to the floor. It was his responsibility to protect her, to protect his team, and look what had happened. He'd had a bad feeling from the moment they stepped through the gate, but had ignored it. He'd let his team down, had let her down, and look what had happened.

He got up and grabbed his jacket. He suddenly had the same desire Sam had. To get the hell off the mountain.

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It was the next morning, and he'd had no sleep at all. He alternated between replaying the events of the mission in his head, and picking up the phone to call Sam. He always put it back down because he didn't want to wake her if she had finally managed to get some sleep. He knew from personal experience that after what she'd been through you either couldn't sleep at all, or slept like the dead. He hoped she was sleeping.

He was holding the phone in his hand when it rang. He immediately answered by saying, "Sam?"

"No, sorry Jack, it's Daniel. I just wanted to know if you've heard from her. I didn't want to call and wake her up."

Jack sighed heavily. "No, Daniel, I haven't heard from Sam. I was going to call her later."

"Yeah, me too." There was a small awkward silence, then Daniel said, "How are you doing?"

"Me?" Jack was definitely surprised by the question.

"Yeah, you."

"Oh, I'm just peachy, Daniel. Having to stand by while one of my people is tortured just does wonders for me, you know?" His tone was more acerbic than usual.

"Er, yeah…bad night, eh?"

Jack sighed. "Yeah, you could say that."

"Me, too. No sleep at all."

"Join the club."

"Teal'c called earlier. He said he's 'troubled', too."

"Yeah." Jack ran a weary hand over his face. "Troubled is putting it mildly."

"Listen, if you hear from Sam…"

"I'll let you know."

As he hung up, someone started pounding on his front door. He opened it to find Pete Shanahan pacing back and forth. He turned and glared at Jack.

"O'Neill." His voice shook with repressed emotion.

"Pete. What are you doing here?"

"Is she here?"

"Sam? No, she's not." What was going on?

Pete made to shove past Jack into the house, shouting, "Sam!"

Jack blocked his entrance with his arm. "What the hell are you doing? I said she's not here."

Pete laced his fingers behind his head. "Oh God, I don't know where else to look." He sounded desperate.

Jack grabbed his arm and turned him to face him. "Sam's gone? What happened?" When Pete didn't immediately answer, Jack shook him. "Pete, what's happened to Sam?"

"I, I was on my way here to stay for the weekend and she calls me on my cell. She was…God, I don't know what she was, I've never heard anyone cry like that. She told me not to come, she told me she didn't want me here, but she was freaking out about something. I couldn't just turn around and go home after that, you know? So, I got to her house… she had trashed the living room, and was sitting in a corner crying. I tried to approach her and she got up and gave me a pretty good shove, telling me she'd told me not to come, that she didn't want me there. I tried to reason with her, but she ran out of the house, got on her bike and just left."

Jack's grip tightened on Pete's arm. "How long ago was this?"

Pete ran a hand over his face. "God, I don't know. Late last night. I looked all over for her, then I thought I should go back and wait for her, you know? That was early this morning."

"And?" All the alarm bells were going off in Jack's head.

"Her bike was back in the garage, her car was gone and the house was locked up tight. She left me this." Pete handed him a small box. Jack opened it to find a gold pendant with a small ruby in the middle. Taped to the inside of the box was a note that said, "Good-bye, Pete. Don't try to find me," in Sam's neat handwriting. If possible, Jack's expression grew even more grim.

"She took her car?"

"Yeah."

Jack turned and went back into the house, leaving Pete to follow or not as he chose. He grabbed the phone and hit a speed dial button. "Yeah, it's O'Neill. I want you to track a GPS for me. It's Carter's. You have it on file." He waited until he got the answer. "You're sure. Is it moving? Thanks."

He hung up and hit speed dial again. "Sam, it's O'Neill. Pick up. Sam, where are you going? Talk to me." Getting no answer he hung up and turned to Pete.

"Her car's on the 25 heading north. Any idea where she could be going?"

Pete shook his head. "No, no. What's going on? Did something happen to her this week?"

O'Neill's mouth tightened. "Yeah, you could say that." He told Pete as much as he could without getting into classified territory.

When he finished Pete muttered, "Jesus. We gotta find her."

Jack nodded. "We will."

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He went with Pete back to Sam's house. It didn't take him long to pick the lock on the front door, and what he found inside shocked him, although Pete had told him Sam had 'trashed' the living room. Pieces of porcelain from broken lamps were scattered across the floor, books, papers, chairs all strewn around the room. He went immediately to her desk, opened a middle drawer and pulled a holster from within. It was empty.

"She took her sidearm."

Pete looked both surprised and appalled. "Why would she do that? She wouldn't…?"

Jack gave him a grim look before heading for the bedroom. Clothes were strewn across the bed, and the dresser drawers were hanging open, their contents spilling out.

"Looks like she packed some things before she went."

"But where would she go?"

Jack shook his head. "I have no idea."

Pete thought for a moment. "Maybe she's going to Mark's."

Jack shook his head. "She's not headed in that direction."

"Oh. Yeah."

Jack's cell phone rang, and he answered immediately.

"O'Neill."

"Colonel, we have a situation here you need to be aware of." It was General Hammond.

"I have a situation of my own here, General." He quickly explained.

General Hammond sighed loudly. "Jack, as I told you once before, we have no jurisdiction away from the mountain."

"Yes, General, and as I asked you once before, we can still look, can't we?

"Yes, Jack, and you need to make this your top priority."

"It already is, sir."

"I know that, son, but there's another need for urgency in this matter."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Jalen, the Tok'ra who was tortured with Major Carter, went berserk this morning when the gate activated for the return of SG13, and started raving that he wouldn't go back. He got a gun away from one of the guards and shot himself in the head with it before anyone could stop him."

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	2. Chapter 2

Broken Wings, by Tracy T

Part 2

See disclaimer in Part 1

Feedback to: 

Jack burst through the door of General Hammond's office, surprising both the General, and Dr. MacKenzie, who was there to confer on the situation.

"So Sam's gone. Ran off to god-knows-where, and here's news. She took her sidearm with her." His voice shook with anger. "Bang up job you're doing here, MacKenzie. You let Carter go after what she's been through, and Jalen ends up blowing his damn head off. Great work, doc, really top notch."

MacKenzie got that soothing, 'I'm dealing with a lunatic, here' tone of voice. "Now Colonel…"

"Don't you 'now Colonel' me. If something happens to Major Carter, MacKenzie, I will hold you PERSONALLY responsible, is that clear?" Jack was all the way up in the psychiatrist's face.

General Hammond was on his feet. "Jack, we'll do everything in our power to find her. You know that ." His voice was low and soothing. "Now, Dr. Mackenzie was just telling me he thinks Major Carter's actions stem from more than just her recent ordeal."

That got Jack's attention, and he broke the unblinking glare he was aiming at Mackenzie. "And what would that be?"

Straightening away from the desk where he had been cornered, Mackenzie edged around it until he had the desk between himself and O'Neill. Clearing his throat loudly he said, "Major Carter has been under a great deal of emotional stress lately. First there was the incident on the Prometheus, where, I believe, she suffered a massive concussion, followed very closely by the devastation at the Alpha site and then the loss of her friend, Dr. Fraiser. All this added to the torture she was subjected to recently has culminated in what I believe is an emotional breakdown.

The look Jack gave Mackenzie was just this side of murderous. "And knowing all this, you just let her leave the mountain." It was a statement, not a question. "You know something? If Janet Fraiser were here there would be no way she'd have let Carter step one foot out of the infirmary, knowing what she'd been through. No way." Pointing a finger at Mackenzie, he reiterated in a deadly voice, "You are personally responsible for this, Mackenzie." With that, he threw open the door and stalked out.

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"O'Neill, Major Carter is strong, she will not give in to this." Teal'c spoke quietly to his friend. All three were sitting on the work table in Daniel's office.

"I keep telling myself that, but you and I both know…"

Teal'c lowered his head once in acknowledgement. "Torture is a difficult experience to overcome, but I am certain Major Carter will do so, given time. As have we."

Jack knew there were some ramifications of that particular ordeal that he would NEVER get over, but just nodded in response.

"He's right, Jack," Daniel interjected. "If Sam were going to do something, well, like Jalen did," he hesitated when Jack shot him a look, but forged ahead. "If she were going to do something, she would have done it already, wouldn't she? Why run off and do it? Maybe she just needs some space and some time to deal with this."

"I don't know, Daniel. You didn't see her house. She trashed it pretty good, and Pete said she was almost hysterical when he saw her. Are those the actions of someone who's calmly going away to think things through? I don't think so."

Some of the panic he was feeling was reflected in Daniel's eyes, which reminded him that Daniel and Teal'c were as worried about Sam as he was. Daniel nodded and said quietly, "Jack, you know we'll do everything we can to find her."

Jack would have responded but Siler came in with a report. "Colonel, Major Carter's car has stopped off the 25 in Wyoming, near Casper. The authorities in the area have been contacted.

All three men jumped to their feet.

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"Great, just great. This day just keeps getting better and better" Jack bit out. They were all standing in a car lot off route 25 in Wyoming, looking at the bright orange "for sale" sign on Sam's Volvo. The salesman, Bob Reddy ("Always Reddy to make a deal!"), had explained that a woman had come in and traded the nearly new car for a silver "vintage" Ford LTD and he'd paid her a small cash settlement for the difference in price of the vehicles. He always gave a pretty lady a good deal, and this one was a real looker.

He'd practically salivated in the telling of the story. Clearly he'd made quite a profit in the transaction.

Jack didn't know what was worse, the plaid sports coat, the comb-over or the cloud of cheap cologne the man was wearing. "We need to look in her car." Jack's voice was flat. It wasn't a request.

"Oh, it's been cleaned out and vacuumed already, but I can let you see the stuff we took out of it," Bob replied. "Hey, this woman you're looking for, she's in big trouble right? Gone AWOL or somethin'?" He seemed to relish the idea.

"Or somethin'." Jack replied, cutting off Daniel who was most likely going to launch into a long explanation. Daniel got the message and immediately shut up, leaving old Bob looking rather frustrated, but the man didn't pursue the matter. Jack in dress blues and mirrored sunglasses could be rather intimidating when he wanted to be, and Bob seemed to have gotten the message loud and clear. Jack liked that in a person. In fact, Bob seemed to be shooting nervous glances both at him and at the silent, some might say, menacing form of Teal'c standing just behind Jack and Daniel.

The items from the car were of no help at all. They consisted of the directions for the sound system, the owner's manual, and an ice scraper. That was it. Typical Carter neatness. If she'd been more of a slob, maybe they'd have a clue where she was going. If, that is, she knew where it was she was headed in the first place.

He rubbed a hand over his face and sighed heavily.

"Can you give us the temporary tag number of the Ford?" Daniel asked.

"Sure thing. Always glad to help out the military. Hey, I'll give you some of my cards, too, and you can pass 'em around at your base. Tell the guys I always give servicemen a break."

Walking away from the lot a few minutes later, O'Neill tossed the handful of cards into the nearest trash bin, and thought briefly that he should call Pete Shanahan and fill him in on the latest developments. Or lack thereof. Instead he paused next to the military SUV they'd all arrived in and hit a number on his speed dial.

It was answered by a voice that said smoothly, "Big Ed's Mortuary. You stab em', we slab 'em. Ed speaking. How may I direct your call?"

"Funny." Jack's voice was dry.

"O'Neill! Hey buddy, how's it hangin'?"

"Listen, Burke, you interested in a job?"

"Whatcha got in mind?"

He briefly explained the situation and after a few pertinent questions, a suddenly serious Burke said, "I'm on it," and cut the connection. Jack felt somewhat better. Burke was the best at what he did.

He thought briefly if Maybourne had been around he'd have called him, too, but the Tok'ra hadn't thrown him back yet, so he was out.

He looked back toward the car dealership, then dialed yet another number and arranged to have someone from the Air Force come and confiscate Sam's car as evidence. The thought of the look on Bob Reddy's face put a smile on his. In fact, it was the first time he'd felt like smiling about anything since he'd chased Sam back through the gate.

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"So, to recap, here we are in lovely downtown BFE Wyoming. Carter's traded in her car for some piece of crap, presumably because it has no tracking system and it's pretty nondescript, and we have no idea what direction she went afterwards. Where do we go from here?" Jack's voice sounded tired even to himself. They'd shown her picture around town, what there was of town, and no one claimed to have seen her.

They were sitting in the local diner, cups of untouched coffee and pie in front of them. Well, in front of Jack and Daniel, anyway. Teal'c was methodically eating his pie, but he didn't look like he was enjoying it much. Normally Jack loved banana cream pie, and this might have been a pie amongst pies for all he knew, but every bite tasted like sawdust.

"BFE?" Daniel asked.

Jack rolled his eyes. "The famous, or infamous if you prefer--heralded in song and story-- 'Bum Fuck Egypt,' Daniel." When Daniel and Teal'c continued to look at him blankly, he prompted, "As in, the middle of nowhere? Ring a bell?"

Daniel merely raised his eyebrows, said, "Ah," and went back to stirring his coffee, but Teal'c was now clearly confused. "Egypt? How can one be in the middle…of nowhere?"

Jack sighed. "No one knows, Teal'c, and yet…" He gestured around him. "Here we are."

Teal'c gave Jack another quizzical look and then resumed silently eating his pie

Jack gave the refrigerator case behind the counter a glare. There, almost as if it were taunting him, amongst the red, green and orange was a lone parfait cup full of blue Jell-O. Daniel noticed his nearly unblinking stare and craned his neck around to see what had garnered Jack's attention. When realization dawned, he turned back with a sigh and a pointed look at Teal'c.

"The authorities have been given a description of the car and the temporary tag number. They already have Sam's description." Daniel's voice was weary. "They've been told Sam's not a danger to herself or others, so they're supposed to take it easy on her if they apprehend her. Hopefully we'll find her first."

Jack huffed out a frustrated sigh, resting his elbows on the table. "And just how are we going to do that when we have no idea where to go from here?

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Two weeks later, after tossing and turning for most of the night, Jack finally fell into a fitful sleep. He dreamt he was back in the cell, underground, and Sam and Jalen were again in the alcove across from him. He watched as Jalen handed Sam a gun and said, "It's the only way, Samantha, the only way out of here," and Jack shouted her name as he watched her put the gun to her head.

The sound of his own voice woke him, and he realized the phone was ringing. He checked the clock to see it was 3:20 in the morning. He grabbed the receiver and growled, "O'Neill. This had better be good."

Nothing.

"Hello?"

Nothing.

Something like an electrical charge suddenly ran through him at the sound of the person breathing on the other end, and he sat bolt upright.

"Sam," his voice shook with intensity. "Sam, talk to me."

He heard a little sniffle, and squeezed the receiver in a death grip. "Jesus, Sam, where are you? C'mon, talk to me. Wherever you are, I can be there in no time, in a heartbeat, it doesn't matter. Just say the word and I'm there. God, do you have any idea how worried I've been, how worried we've all been? Sam, please." For all he knew he was babbling away to some pervert who really got the wrong number, but something told him he wasn't wrong. This was definitely Sam.

"Sam? C'mon, say something," but he instead heard the click of the disconnection.

"Damn!" He immediately checked his caller ID and copied down the number. He tried dialing it back and got the recording that this phone did not accept incoming calls. A pay phone, then. He hit a number on his speed dial and requested a trace of the number. A few minutes later he was told it had come from a pay phone in Elko, Nevada.

What the hell was she doing in Elko, Nevada?

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

Of course, nothing came from a search of Elko, either. Then he got a call from Burke telling him the LTD Sam had bought from Bob Reddy had turned up at a car dealership near Elko. Burke said the car dealer had paid cash for the car instead of doing a trade-in. Sam was clearly trying to cover her tracks, and she was doing a great job of it. She could have another vehicle now, or she could be on a bus, train, or plane for that matter.

Pinching the bridge of his nose to relieve the pressure in his head, Jack sighed heavily. "So, what do we do now?"

"Not to worry, buddy boy, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. I'll call you in 24. Old Bloodhound Burke is on the job," he howled like a wolf and hung up.

Jack dropped the phone onto his desk. He wished he felt as optimistic as Burke sounded. Between the "pursuit of untamed ornothoids", as Teal'c would term a wild goose chase, and barely sleeping at night waiting for the phone to ring again, Jack was nearly at his breaking point.

Daniel, unwisely, chose that moment to come talk to him. He softly knocked on the door jam and said, "Got a moment?"

Jack wanted to tell him to go away, but gestured silently to the chair opposite his desk.

Jack dropped into his chair and once again pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What can I do for you, Daniel?"

"Well, I've been thinking. Maybe we should just give Sam some space."

Jack frowned at him. "Excuse me? Space?"

"Well, clearly Sam doesn't want us to find her, and I was thinking maybe we should just let her sort things out on her own and come back when she's ready. Maybe that's the best thing for her."

Jack was suddenly furiously angry. He stood. "Daniel," his voice was ominously soft. "If you want to give up on Sam, then that's your business, but I will NOT stop looking for her until I find her. Is that clear?"

"Jack, I'm not giving up on her, I just thought…"

"May I remind you what happened to Jalen? May I remind you what she did to her house before she left? Does that sound like something Sam would normally do? She's not just gone on some vacation. We need to find her as soon as we can."

"Jack…"

"No, Daniel, you do what you want, I'm going to find her."

"And what is this doing to you, Jack?" Daniel's voice rose to meet the level of O'Neill's. "Look at yourself. You look like hell. What toll is all this taking on you?"

Jack immediately brushed that aside. "It doesn't matter. Once we get Sam back…"

"And what if we don't? Huh? What if that doesn't happen?"

Jack was stunned. "I can't believe you said that."

"Jack," Daniel came around the desk to stand facing him. "She's my friend, too, but it's a very real possibility. I mean, we'll do whatever we can to find her, but we have to face the fact…"

"NO!" Jack roared. "NO! * You * face the fact, Daniel, * I'm * going to find her." With that he walked out of the office.

SJSJSJSJSJSJ

True to his word, Burke called the next day, and his first words were, "Am I good or what?"

Jack gripped the cell phone a little harder. "What? What did you find?"

"Well, after chatting up the locals, I found a kid who sold his Jeep to a quote "real babe with a major wad of cash," unquote. The good news is, the stupid kid sold it without removing the plates, so we have a plate number to run, and the thing's bright lime green, so it really stands out. Let me check it out and I'll get back to you, okay?"

"Make it soon, Burke." His weariness was reflected in Jack's voice.

"Quick as a bunny, old buddy." The line went dead.

Three hours later while Jack was meeting with Hammond his cell phone rang again. "Excuse me, sir, I think I should get this. Burke is supposed to call me if he finds anything."

Hammond nodded. "By all means, Colonel."

"O'Neill."

"You are one lucky SOB, you know that?" Burke sounded positively giddy.

"You found her?" Jack's found his voice was shaking a bit.

"That I did, my friend, that I did." Burke could be forgiven, Jack supposed, for sounding smug.

Jack's knees felt almost weak with relief. "Where? Where is she?"

"In a little seaside town in California, not far from San Simeon. She's rented a guest house from a lady named Aggie Smith. A cantankerous, bossy, tough old lady, I might add. She wasn't much help when I questioned her, almost set her dogs on me, but I saw the Jeep parked down by the guest house anyway. You want I should apprehend Major Carter?"

"No, no," Jack answered quickly. "Whatever you do, don't approach her. Give me directions. I'm on my way."

After jotting down the directions, Jack hung up and turned to Hammond. "Sir…?"

Hammond nodded and held up a restraining hand. "No need to say it, son. Go."

Within the hour he was on the road, following the route he supposed Sam had taken. The 25 to Wyoming and then the 80 all the way to California. He'd taken time to pack a bag, gas up the truck and call Daniel and Teal'c to let them know the news. "I will accompany you, O'Neill," Teal'c had said, but Jack told him he thought it would be better if he went alone, and Teal'c merely asked that Jack keep them informed.

Daniel was a different story. Things had been strained between them since the recent blow-up, and when Daniel said he'd go with him and Jack refused, he could tell Daniel thought Jack was still holding hard feelings against him. "Daniel," Jack said quietly. "This has nothing to do with our last conversation. I know she's your friend and you care about her, and I know you want to help bring her home. Teal'c wanted to go, too, and I told him the same thing I'll tell you. I think it would be better if I went alone. There's no telling what state Sam is in, and having a whole group of people descend on her may just make things worse. I promise I'll contact you as soon as I know anything, okay?" Jack squelched the traces of guilt he felt at his words, knowing that wild horses would not have kept him away from going to Sam, no matter what anyone had said.

Daniel was silent for a moment before he said, "Yeah, okay, but let us know what's happening, all right?" Jack promised he would and hung up.

It took him several hours to get to the location Burke had given him, and he was exhausted as he drove down the coastal highway and approached a large, grey Victorian house. As he pulled into the drive, his heart started beating faster at the sight of the guest quarters in the back and to the left side of the main house, a bright green Jeep parked near the front door. He put the truck in park and got out, heading for the bungalow, when two large, barking dogs rushed him and an angry voice said, "And just where the hell do you think you're going, mister?"

Holding his arms up and away from the dogs, he turned to find an elderly woman glaring at him, holding a rifle pointed at his chest.

"Baxter, Kirby, SHUT UP!" The two dogs immediately stopped barking but kept growling low in their throats, baring their teeth at him in warning. Just then the screen door to the house squeaked open a few inches, and then slammed shut. A small, white French bulldog, came skittering around the corner of the porch, and charged right up to him, yapping its head off for all it was worth. In fact, it barked so hard its front legs were getting pulled up off the ground in the effort. This sent the other two off again, causing the woman to yell, "SHUT THE HELL UP, ALL OF YOU!" Baxter and Kirby immediately went into growling mode again, and the little white dog commenced to snorting, and snuffing Jack's pant leg.

"Don't mind Francesca, there, she rules the roost around here, and she's just real protective of me. It's the other two you have to worry about, sonny."

"Oh, I believe that, ma'am." One of the dogs was a well-muscled Rottweiler, the other a Mastiff of some kind. Jack kept his arms raised, and looked down at Francesca snuffling his shoes.

"I don't mean to trespass, Mrs….Smith?" But I'm looking for a woman and I think she might be here."

"Nope. Not here." Mrs. Smith's face was implacable.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I'm the only woman here and I know you're not looking for me."

"Uh," Jack forced a smile and replied, "No ma'am. Her name is Samantha Carter and…"

"I SAID she's not here. That's what I told that moron who came sniffing around yesterday--I take it you know him---and that's what I'm telling you."

"Yes, ma'am, but that Jeep near your guest house. I have reason to believe Sam was driving it."

The woman's face hardened even further. "Nope. Belongs to my son, Ronny. He uses it when he comes to visit." She looked at Jack as if daring him to dispute that.

"Yes, ma'am, but it has Nevada plates."

"So?"

"Well, the Jeep Sam bought was from Nevada as well."

"Lotsa cars in Nevada, son, Lotsa Jeeps, too."

Jack sighed, daring to lower his arms. He looked down at Francesca, who had finished examining him, and was sitting looking up at him expectantly, her too-large ears going up and down like wings.

"Ma'am," Jack began, when suddenly all three dogs ran toward the edge of the property, barking again, but this time they were wagging their tails happily. Another, older dog climbed up the steps from the beach, a brown and white Springer Spaniel, followed by a woman who stopped in her tracks at the sight of him.

"Sam," Jack breathed, as the woman reluctantly approached.

Sam looked as if she wanted to turn tail and run, but stopped a few feet from him and held her ground.

"Sir." She didn't look particularly glad to see him. Jack noted that she was much thinner than she'd been the last time he saw her, and there were shadows under her eyes. Her hair was longer, but looked lank and unhealthy.

"Long time, no see, Sam." Jack murmured.

"Dammit, Sam, couldn't you and Chester have stayed away just a few more minutes?" Mrs. Smith huffed out an exasperated sigh. "I'd almost got rid of this fella for you."

Sam and Jack looked at each other silently for a few moments before Sam said firmly, "I'm not going back."

Jack didn't answer right away, then said quietly. "Okay. Whatever you want."

Sam nodded a bit uncertainly, apparently not expecting this response from him.

Jack held his hands out toward her. "Sam, I just wanted to make sure you're okay. We've all been pretty worried about you, you know."

"Well now you know. You can go now." Sam's voice was so low he barely heard her.

Suddenly making up his mind Jack said firmly, "Nope. Not going to happen."

Sam looked a little startled. "Excuse me?"

"Here's the deal, you don't want to go back, fine by me, but I'm not going back until you decide to go with me."

"What?" Sam looked as if she was going to cry.

"You heard me. Sam," His voice softened. "Look, we both know I'm responsible for everything that happened to you…"

"No! No, you're not…"

"Well, I think I am, and I'm staying."

Tears in her eyes, Sam approached him, giving him a shove. "No! I don't want you here. Leave me alone!" With that she turned on her heel and ran toward the guest house, bursting through the door and slamming it shut behind her.

"You heard her, son, she wants her space." Aggie Smith said gently. "You know something, I'm a dammed good judge of character, if I do say so myself. I can see you care about her, but she needs some time. I don't know what happened to her, but she's been a mess since she got here and I've been pretty worried about her."

"Yes ma'am, but from what you say, she needs someone to take care of her, and I'm going to do it."

The woman looked at him for a few moments appraisingly, then leaned the rifle against the side of the house and approached him, holding out her hand.

"Aggie Smith. You can call me Aggie."

Jack took her hand and was on the receiving end of a very firm handshake. "Jack O'Neill. Call me Jack."

Jack smiled. Apparently he was welcomed into the fold now. Aggie Smith was definitely a tough old woman, but he could tell she'd been a beauty in her youth. There were still traces of that beauty evident today, despite the salt and pepper hair, and the lines on her face. She was a forceful presence, despite her small frame. Jack figured she was about 5'5", and had piercing, sharp blue eyes. She had the husky, low voice of a woman who'd smoked a lot during her life, and he bet she'd had a few drinks in her time as well, but she had the class that some of his grandmother's friends had had. Women who were the salt of the earth. Women who faced life with humor and guts. Women who lived well, and had a great time doing it. Women with tough exteriors and soft hearts, who didn't take crap from anyone. He loved women like that.

As a boy, he'd loved going to his grandmother's near Chicago on holidays and in the summer. The women, his grandmother and his unofficial aunts, would come wearing their Sunday best, hair done, pearls on, beautiful dresses, but after dinner, after all the dishes had been done they'd sit down and play Gin Rummy and tell tales of their youth. Days of bathtub gin and rumble seats and all the wild things they had done, and they'd drink beer and smoke, and just laugh their heads off. He'd hang around the table and listen, enchanted by it all, and beg for a sip of beer, or "beah" as he'd said it then. Occasionally they'd give in and let him have a sip--but just one, just to see him make a face at the taste, and then they'd laugh some more. Aggie Smith would have fit right in with them.

"Okay, Jack," Aggie continued. Listen, if she won't let you stay in the guest house with her, you can stay up here in the main house with me. Hell, I've got six bedrooms, and the only ones that get used are my own, and the one Hector and his wife, Consuela use. They help me out around here since I had my hip replacement. Body's about shot, you know. Anyway, got plenty of room if you want it."

"I don't think that will be necessary, but thanks. I think I'm going to go down and talk to Sam, okay?"

"You do that. Oh. Listen. She hasn't been eating or sleeping much. I take food down to her occasionally, but I don't know if it gets eaten, and I see her lights on at all hours of the night when I get up to "go" in the middle of the night. Just thought you ought to know. It took everything in me to get her to take old Chester for a walk today. Had to plead the bad hip, you know."

With that she turned and went into the house. Following her cue, the dogs all settled down on the porch, apparently accepting him now.

Jack turned toward the guest house and paused. Carter wouldn't welcome him, he knew that. He went to his truck and took out the bag he'd brought with him. He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and marched to the door of the guest house and barged right in.

Carter must have seen him coming, because as he came in through the front door, the door to the bedroom slammed shut. He dropped his bag on the floor, marched to the closed door and tried to push his way in. Nothing. It was locked.

"Carter? Carter! Open this door!"

The sound of a muffled "Go away!" came from within.

Jack took a deep breath. "Don't make me break this door down." He gave the door another hard shove. "You know I will."

The doorknob was wrenched out of his hand as Sam pulled the door open. "I said, Go. Away. I don't want you here. Don't you get it?" Her hair was mussed, her eyes were red and filled with tears and she looked ferocious.

Jack steeled himself not to move back. He shook his head. "Not a chance. I've finally found you and I'm here for the duration. That's all there is to it."

He could almost hear the wheels of her mind turning. Suddenly she said firmly, "Fine." She pushed past him, grabbed some keys off the end table, and moved toward the front door.

Jack grabbed her arm with one hand and pushed the door shut with the other. "C'mon Sam, settle down and talk to me."

She struggled with him for a moment and then all the wind seemed to go out of her sails. She put the keys on the entry way table, and walked slowly over to the couch, dropping down onto the cushions. She looked up at him silently for a moment, then said quietly, "I meant what I said. I won't go back there."

Jack pulled the ottoman up and sat down facing Sam. He took her unresisting hands in his and nodded. "I meant what I said, too. Whatever you want, but I'm here to make sure you're okay. If you only want me to stay a day or two, that's fine, but I'm not leaving until I'm sure, okay?"

Sam stared down at their clasped hands, then she nodded. She stood, breaking his hold on her. "Okay. Two days. You can have the bedroom, I don't sleep much anyway."

Jack nodded and got up to survey his surroundings. The guest house consisted of one Great Room with white walls, a white couch, two white chairs and a TV. The kitchen was actually part of the room, but partitioned off by an island with a black granite top that served as both counter top work surface, and eating area. Two bar stools provided seating. The only other room was the large bedroom with an enormous bed and one dresser. The French doors that led to the outside from the bedroom were slightly ajar, and the sheer curtains billowed in the breeze. He walked into the only bathroom, leading off of the bedroom and gasped. "Hokey Smokes, Sam, that's the biggest bathtub I've ever seen in my life!"

Sam followed him into the room with a small smile on her face. "It's pretty impressive, isn't it? Aggie's son remodeled the guest house a few years ago and had it put in."

"You could get five people into it comfortably."

The smile faded from Sam's face. "I wouldn't know. I use the shower." A separate shower stall stood next to the tub. Sam wandered out of the room silently.

Jack followed to find her sitting on the couch with her legs drawn up in front of her, the haunted look back on her face.

"So," Jack clapped his hands together before rubbing them together, causing Sam to jump. "What's for supper? I'm starved." He went into the kitchen area and opened the fridge to find a half drunk bottle of water and some old ketchup packets. That was it. He turned to Sam with wide eyes.

"My God, what have you been eating? There's nothing in here."

Sam was studiously fiddling with the hem of her T-shirt. "I haven't been very hungry."

Jack tried not to look as shocked as he felt. She wasn't eating and she wasn't sleeping. Okay. This was going to change.

Jack marched to the front door, picked up the keys to the Jeep and pulled open the door. He turned to Sam and said, "I'm going to borrow the Jeep." It wasn't a request. "I'm going to go get some supplies. I'll be right back." He started through the door and stopped. "Don't leave, okay?"

Sam wouldn't meet his eye, but nodded.

Jack watched her for a moment, but decided he had to be satisfied with that and walked out the door, wondering if she'd really be there when he got back. He got into the Jeep, started it and sat for a moment, thinking. He drove up to Aggie's front door and knocked. She answered immediately, making him wonder if she'd been watching.

"Mrs. Smith…Aggie, I'm going into town for some supplies. Will you…would you…"

"Make sure she stays put? Not a problem. I'll watch her."

Jack smiled and nodded gratefully. "Thanks." Aggie nodded once and closed the door.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Broken Wings, by TracyT

Part 3

See disclaimer in Part 1

Feedback to: 

Jack drove down the road toward town with a nagging feeling of anxiousness. He had just found Sam, now he was leaving her, however briefly, and he was scared to death she would take the opportunity to run. He should have brought her with him, but truthfully, she didn't look up to making the trip. He'd been shocked by her appearance. She'd lost weight, and there were dark, deep circles under her eyes. He squared his shoulders. He was going to take care of her, and he needed to get supplies so he could do that properly. He just prayed Aggie would make sure Sam stayed put until he got back.

On the way to town, he spotted a Wal-Mart. There were some things only this place could provide--cheaply--so he turned in. Once inside the store he grabbed a cart and started going up and down aisles. He got a box set of four plates, salad plates, bowls, saucers and coffee cups, and since the coffee cups provided were kind of small, he added two large mugs. He grabbed an inexpensive set of silverware, since he'd noticed all Sam had was a few plastic utensils. He found a set of four glasses and some juice glasses. He found a box set of pots and pans--on sale--and added that to his cart. He found a Pyrex baking pan, a set of two cookie sheets, a cheese grater, some measuring cups, and some wooden spoons. Next came towels, both kitchen and bathroom, sheets for the king-sized bed, and a nice thick blanket. He'd seen pillows on the bed, so left those off the list.

So much for the hardware, now for the software. He got some liquid laundry detergent, dryer sheets, dishwasher detergent, his and hers shower gel, shampoo and conditioner, cleaning supplies (thank God for Swiffer), paper towels, tissues and napkins. Next, aluminum foil, wax paper, plastic bags of various sizes, and cling wrap.

Although the Wal-Mart had a grocery store, he chose to wait until he got to town to buy groceries, and he'd passed a fruit and vegetable stand on the way, and he knew they'd most likely have the best produce.

As he put his items on the conveyor belt at the checkout, the clerk, a woman in her early 40's, smiled. "How long has it been?"

Jack frowned. "Excuse me?"

She swept a hand over the items on the belt. "What we have here is what we at Wal-Mart call "The Divorced Man's Starter Kit." We see it all the time. You're just missing, two, no, three items to make it complete."

"And what would that be?"

"A floor lamp or two, a futon and a plasma TV."

Jack was so amused he decided to play along. He did his best to look sheepish. "Well, I already have the lamps and the futon, but…plasma TV?"

"We have a special on a 42-inch in electronics."

Jack hid a smile as he swiped his credit card. "I'll keep that in mind."

The clerk, whose nametag indicated she was called Marla, ripped his receipt off the register and handed it over to him to sign. He added his signature and handed it back to her. She scribbled something on his copy and handed it to him. "Are you new to the area?

"Yes ma'am, I am."

"Well, welcome. See that rack over there by the front door?" She pointed to a wire rack holding several flyers.

"Yeah?"

"That's a little newspaper that has all the businesses in town listed along with some coupons and such. It will help you get acquainted."

"Thanks." That would certainly come in useful.

He grabbed one on the way out the door, and as he folded his receipt to put in his wallet, noticed that Marla had put her name and phone number on the back with the words, "Call me." Jack was bemused. Okay, this was awkward. How was he going to explain to Sam he couldn't go back in the Wal-Mart anymore?

He loaded everything into the back of the Jeep and drove into town. It was a quaint little place, typical seaside town with Victorian accents, no longer than two blocks long. One of the first things that greeted him was the mural on the side of a stone block building. It was painted mostly black with white dots for stars. Two green Martians were flying a cinnamon roll the size of a Volkswagen through space with big smiles on their faces. Above all this was a sign that said, " Leo's Cinnamon Rolls, The Best in the Universe." Jack grinned. As he came around the side of the building, he saw the establishment was called "Leo's Pancake World." Apparently the cinnamon rolls extended as far as the universe, but the pancakes were limited to this world.

He found the market easily enough, and remembered the mantra his mother had taught him. Bread and butter, salt and pepper, sugar and milk. Along with eggs and bacon, ketchup and mustard, orange juice, some lunch meat and potato salad from the deli, and a few other items he needed to make supper that night.

The market just said "Market" over the door, but he found that the other establishments in town found more creative names for their businesses. He went next door to the wine shop, called "The Grapes of Roth," owned by Jim and Tammy Roth. He bought a couple bottles of wine, and two nice wine glasses, along with a good corkscrew. Next was the flower shop, named "The Floral Majority," where he bought an inexpensive bouquet to brighten up the place. The bakery where he bought a Boston Cream Pie was called "We Bake to Differ," while the bagel shop was named "Lox, Stock and Bagel." As he passed the bookstore, named "Buy the Book," he decided bad puns were the order of the day.

He finally headed out of town and stopped at the fruit and vegetable stand he'd seen on the way out. He met Emilio and Estella Sanchez and their 18-month old son, Miguel. He discussed the merits of their lovely tomatoes, green peppers, onions, lettuce and garlic with them, and they showed him some beautiful grapes, oranges and peaches. He ended up buying some of each.

Finally he was on his way back home with the Jeep loaded to the gills. He pulled into the drive and prayed Sam was still there. Aggie was waiting for him on her porch and approached as he pulled to a stop. "She hasn't budged since you left, least not that I've seen."

Jack sighed in relief. "Good. Thanks."

"No problem. You think you got enough stuff there?" She indicated the packed Jeep.

Jack grinned. "Well, if I forgot something I can always go back."

Aggie snorted. "You're a pip, ain'tcha?"

Jack just grinned, put the Jeep in gear and headed for the guesthouse.

He got as much out of the Jeep as he could carry and pushed the door open with his hip. He noticed the bedroom door was shut, and decided to leave Sam in peace while he got dinner ready.

It took three trips to get everything in, but finally he'd put most of it away and was ready to start supper. The towels and sheets would have to wait until Sam emerged from the bedroom, since the only bathroom was off that, but it was a start. He put all the plates and bowls, along with glasses and glass baking pans in the dishwasher and started it, then washed all the pots and pans by hand. Then he got the food out and started cooking. The house was wired with speakers in each room, so he found the control that would just turn the sound on in the kitchen/living room area, and turned on a classic rock station to keep him company.

Joe Cocker was singing "Cry Me a River, "while the chicken pieces were baking and the noodles boiling. At this point Sam emerged from the bedroom.

"Hey," he looked up from cutting up vegetables.

"Hey," she responded softly, approaching the breakfast bar and taking a seat on one of the stools. She fingered the flowers he'd placed on the counter in a vase. "Smells good."

Jack smiled. "If you wait a few minutes it will be Fettuccini Alfredo with chicken. Sound good?"

Sam nodded then frowned. "Wait a minute. You cook?"

"Yeah, it's sort of a hobby. I'm a Food Network junkie."

"Hey, you always get out of cooking on missions because you say you know nothing about cooking. What gives?"

Jack grinned. "Yeah, gets me out of KP duty every time."

"You've been holding out on us, sir."

"Hey, what can I say?" He was unrepentant. He wiped his hands on a towel, and went to pull a bowl from the refrigerator. "Here, try these." The bowl contained the washed grapes and a peach he'd sliced up. "I found a fruit and vegetable stand selling these and they're wonderful. Try them." He made himself go back to cooking, hoping she'd actually eat something. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her nibble on the grapes, and take a slice of peach, but she only ate a few.

"Hey, I bought some shower soap and shampoo and stuff," he kept his eyes on the sauce he was stirring. "Why don't you go take a shower while I finish getting supper ready?"

She sat perfectly still for a couple moments, then sighed. "Okay, I'll be back." She grabbed up the soap, shampoo and a couple of towels and headed for the bedroom. Soon he heard the water running in the bathroom, and sighed. He wondered how long it had been since she'd bathed.

As he was putting the finishing touches on the meal, Sam came out of the bedroom wearing clean shorts and a T-shirt. Her hair was wet, but she looked clean and her cheeks had a pink tint to them, which was much healthier than her earlier pallor.

He put a plate on the counter. "Here you go. Dinner is served. What would you like to drink? I bought a nice Riesling today, but if you don't want anything alcoholic, I have water, juice and soda."

"No, I'd like to try the wine." He smiled at her, pleased. He put salad bowls along side the plates, and put a fresh-baked rolls in a basket on the counter with the butter. Along with the wine, he put a glass of water beside each plate.

He tried to not watch Sam anxiously as she took her first bite. "Good?" he asked. She nodded. "Very good." She ate a bit more, but after a while, she put her fork down.

"You don't like it?" He asked.

"No, no, it's not that. Everything's great. It's just….I haven't eaten very much in a long time and…"

"You just can't eat all that?"

"I really love it, I do, and I appreciate all the work you put into it, but I just can't eat any more."

"That's fine, Carter, eat what you can. Pasta heats up really good, so it's not a problem. In fact, I think pasta's better the second day."

She smiled gratefully.

He shooed her out of the kitchen when she would have helped him clean up. There was a tiny black and white television in the living room, making him think longingly of the 42-inch plasma at Wal-Mart, but he turned it on to the news, and made her sit on the couch with her wine.

Soon, it was time for bed, and he saw Sam yawn. Clearly the wine had relaxed her. "Listen why don't you go to bed? I'll take the couch."

"But sir, you won't fit."

"I'll make due, Carter. I've slept in way worse situations on missions, you know."

Sam looked doubtful but nodded. "Okay, good night sir."

"'Night Carter."

***************

Jack flopped over on his other side for about the millionth time. Despite what he'd told Sam, the couch wasn't all that comfortable, and his long legs stuck over the end. He bunched up the pillow and tried to make himself comfortable when he heard a noise. It was a kind of whimpering. He thought maybe it was an animal until he realized it was Sam. Her door was ajar and she was crying.

He got up, pushed her door open and said softly, "Sam?" No answer. "You okay?" He heard a snuffle, so flipped on the light. What he saw shocked him. She had wedged herself between the bed and the nightstand against the wall, and she was huddled on the floor crying, obviously terrified.

"Sam," He pulled the nightstand out and reached for her. She flinched away from him, crying out, "No! Don't touch me." He completely ignored that, and pulled her up, then scooped her up in his arms. She turned her face into his shoulder and sobbed. He carried her to the bed, settled her into it, and got in behind her. He pulled into his arms and made soft shushing noises, talking to her softly while he stroked her hair. He kept repeating, "It's okay, it's going to be fine, Sam, shhh…I'm not going anywhere. " Until she finally calmed. He stroked her back and talked softly to her until she finally slept in his arms.

***********


	4. Chapter 4

Broken Wings, by TracyT

Part 4

See disclaimer in part 1

Feedback to: 

Jack woke up with Sam's weight heavy on him. She was sound asleep, thank goodness. Despite the fact that his arm was asleep where she was lying on it, he had to pee, and a certain part of his body was wide awake and very happy to see Sam, he wouldn't have moved for the world if it meant she got a few more minutes of peaceful sleep. He gritted his teeth and made himself lie still.

He noticed the French doors were slightly ajar and frowned. He was sure they were shut last night. A snorty sigh explained all that. Francesca, Aggie's French bulldog, was snoozing in a pool of sunlight on the floor. Apparently she'd pushed the doors open herself and decided to join them.

Jack lay as still as he possibly could, but thankfully, after a few minutes Sam sighed and rolled away from him to her other side. Jack winced and rubbed the circulation back in his arm, feeling the pins and needles as the nerves woke up again. He rolled off the other side of the bed, went into the bathroom and relieved himself, then took a very cold shower to alleviate his other problem. When he was done he shaved and brushed his teeth.

He carefully opened the door and came back into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. Francesca opened one eye and watched him. He opened his bag and pulled out a clean shirt, pulling it over his head. He pulled out a clean pair of jeans and his boxers. He was about to drop the towel to put them on, when he glanced at Sam and found her watching him, too.

"Hey there, sleepyhead. Sleep well?" Sam nodded silently. "Good. So, here's the plan today. What do you say we get some breakfast and then take a drive up the coast?"

"Why?" Sam's voice was listless.

"Just to see what we can see. It's a beautiful day, we should get out and enjoy it. As for breakfast, we gotta eat, right?" He ignored the fact that Sam didn't look too sure about that. "Leo's says it has the best cinnamon rolls in the universe, and since we are the only two people around here uniquely qualified to judge that, I say we go put them to the test. Plus, they have coffee, and I forgot to buy some yesterday." When Sam didn't move or respond he added, "Get your stuff and get in the shower. We're burning daylight here." No response again. "I can make that an order, Major." Sam sighed and sat up, swinging her legs to the side of the bed. Yes, Jack thought, progress.

While Sam was showering Jack finished getting dressed and escorted Francesca back up to the main house. Aggie came out the door just as Jack managed to coax Francesca toward the porch. "There you are. I wondered where she'd got to. She missed her breakfast this morning. Where'd you find her?"

"In our bedroom. She managed to push the doors open and made herself at home."

Aggie grinned. "She does that when Ronny's here, too. She loves company."

Jack wanted to respond he wasn't so sure HE liked company, but Aggie changed the subject. "So, it's 'our' bedroom now, eh? You and Sam got cozy awful quick."

Jack shook his head. "It's not like that. I was sleeping on the couch, but Sam had some pretty bad nightmares last night and I ended up comforting her in her room."

"Uh huh.' Aggie didn't look convinced. "Well, none of my business. Come on Francy, let's get your breakfast." She and the dog disappeared into the house.

Jack turned back toward the guest house with a sigh. He felt like he was walking a tight rope. He kept remembering what had happened to Jalen, and couldn't help feeling Sam was two steps away from the same fate if he didn't find a way to pull her back. He had plenty of experience being in Sam's shoes, and he remembered how he'd been after Ba'al. He still had nightmares about that. First order of business was to make things as normal as possible. If he could keep her days full and busy, she might eventually be able to find her way back.

He pushed the doors to the bedroom open to find Sam fully dressed. She was sitting on the bed brushing her hair. "Hey, ready to go?" He smiled down at her.

Soon they were in the Jeep on their way to town. He was happy to see Sam lean her head back and bask in the sun and the wind. Her eyes were covered by her sunglasses but she seemed to be enjoying the ride.

They pulled into the lot next to Leo's and he saw Sam smile at the mural. "Told ya," he said with a grin. "By the way, did you see all the names of the businesses here? Bad puns run amok." He named the ones he'd seen.

"You must have missed the pizza place," Sam said with a smile.

Jack groaned. "Don't tell me."

"A Pizza De Action," Sam grinned.

"D'Oh!" Jack shook his head and got out of the Jeep. "That's just wrong." He was pleased when Sam giggled.

When they opened the doors to Leo's a burst of sound greeted them. The place was packed, and Jack realized it was Sunday. Breakfast places did big business on weekends, they should have come during the week.

A waitress hustled over and grabbed some menus. "Is it just you two?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Follow me." She led them to the very back of the room to a small table with two chairs. "Coffee?" Sam and Jack both nodded as they took their seats. The waitress turned their cups over and hurried off. Soon she was back with a pot of coffee. She filled their cups, indicated the sugar and cream and disappeared again.

Sam took a sip of her coffee and hummed in pleasure. "Good coffee, anyway."

Jack took a sip of his and had to agree. "But is it the best coffee in the universe?"

Sam thought about it for a moment. "Top five, anyway."

Jack frowned into his cup, then looked up at Sam and nodded. "I concur."

The waitress rematerialized at their table. "What can I get for you?"

"Two of your 'best in the universe' cinnamon rolls, my good woman." Jack grinned at her.

"You got it. Just took some out of the oven."

"Even better."

"Back in a flash."

Cindy, their waitress, was indeed back in a flash with the rolls. As she set the plates on the table, Sam commented, "They're huge!" They were enormous. Almost the size of the dinner plate they sat on.

Cindy smiled. "That's one of the things that makes them so good. She put down silverware and extra napkins. "Enjoy."

They smelled heavenly. Jack took a bite and closed his eyes in appreciation. "Damn. That is good."

"Best in the universe?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. Have we had such pastries anyplace else in the universe?"

Sam thought for a moment. "Well, there was Kynthia's marriage cake, but only you ate that. Was it at all cinnamon-y?" She took a sip of her coffee and looked at him innocently over the rim.

Jack stared at her with his mouth hanging open. "I can't believe you just said that. You, Major Carter, are a brat, and for your information, it was more birthday cake-y than cinnamon-y."

Sam grinned. "Okay, so we aren't the best judges since we haven't had anything remotely like this on other planets, but it's darn good. I'd be willing to bet it's right up there with the best in the universe."

Jack smiled. "Agreed."

Jack was nearly finished with his when he noticed Sam had only eaten about a quarter of hers. "Sam?"

"Sorry, sir. I guess my appetite's still not up to speed." When Jack looked at her hopefully, she slid her plate his way. "Help yourself, I can't eat another bite."

Jack hid his worry over her. She wasn't eating enough to keep a bird alive. He'd just have to keep trying. He gobbled the rest of her roll up. Sam would seem normal, joking with him and all, one minute, then she'd show him she wasn't completely back to normal by not eating or withdrawing from him again. It was one step forward, three steps back.

Soon they'd put the tip on the table and were just about to get up and pay the bill at the counter when a rather rotund man with long gray hair in a braid down his back and a neatly trimmed beard approached their table. He had on a black Grateful Dead T-shirt.

"So, how were the cinnamon rolls?" He held his hand out for Jack to shake.

"You must be Leo." Jack shook the man's hand.

"I am." Leo grinned.

"Jack O'Neill. This is Sam Carter."

"Good to meet you. New to the area?"

Jack nodded. "We are. And to answer your question, we have decided your cinnamon rolls are indeed the best in the universe."

"Good to know. Glad you enjoyed them, Jack, Sam. Please come back and see us."

"Indeed we will, Leo, but what makes the rolls so good?."

"If I told you I'd have to kill you."

Jack grinned. "Understood. Thanks for the great breakfast. By the way, why Leo's Pancake World? Why not something like 'Roll with the Punches' or 'Hansel and Griddle?'"

Leo chuckled. "We opened before the businesses with the cute names arrived. I decided to stick with what we already had instead of going with the flow." He gestured toward Jack. "Catchy names, though. You have the knack for them, I have to hand you that."

Jack shrugged. "It's a gift."

They said their good-byes to Leo and Jack escorted Sam to the counter where they paid up. Soon they were back in the Jeep, heading up the coast.

They passed several small towns and villages, some with touristy looking shops and restaurants, others not so flashy. Sam was pretty quiet, but seemed to be enjoying it all. They stopped for lunch at a seaside place that specialized in curly fries with ranch dressing. They got the fish tacos and the curly fries and watched the surf. Sam did a fair job of eating, but still didn't finish hers. Then it was back on the road.

As the sun was setting in the sky, Jack turned around and headed home. "So, feel like leftovers for supper tonight, or do you want to stop and get a bite someplace on the way?"

"Leftovers are fine. I'm kind of tired." She did look tired, Jack thought. There was a listlessness to her that hadn't been there before and a droop to her mouth that indicated weariness.

On the way back, they passed Emillio and Estella closing up the produce stand for the night. Jack waved to them and they waved back. He noticed Estella holding Miguel on her hip.

"Friends of yours?" Sam said softly.

"I met them yesterday when I bought some things from them. We talked over the merits of this and that for a while. They're really nice folks."

Sam nodded but didn't comment.

Sam was asleep by the time they pulled into Aggie's driveway. Jack pulled up to the guest house, killed the engine and came around to Sam's side, prepared to carry her into the house. However, she woke up the minute her started to lift her. "Sir…really it's okay, I can walk."

"Okay, but drop the 'sir.' While we're here it's Jack, okay?"

Sam looked a little shyly at him. "Okay, but…give me some time to get used to that, all right?"

"Sure, no problem." He winked at her, and gestured for her to lead the way into the house.

He got her settled on the couch with the news on, brought her a glass of iced sun tea and started to bustle around the kitchen fixing the leftovers. He felt her watch him more than she watched the TV, but pretended not to notice.

They ate in front of the television and by the time they were done, it was nearly 10:00. Sam yawned. "Hey," Jack said softly. "Why don't you go on to bed? I'll clean up and take the couch again."

Sam stood but looked at him a little uncertainly. "Uhm, sir, Jack, can I ask a favor?"

"Anything." He meant that.

"Would you mind…I mean, that is if you don't mind…"

"You want me to share your bed again?"

"Please? I slept so much better with you there. I just felt…safer."

How could he possibly say no to that? "Sure, absolutely. My feet stick over the end of the couch anyway. You go get ready and I'll be in in a few minutes, okay?"

She gave him a soft smile. "I mean, I don't want to give you the wrong idea or anything…

He held up a hand. "Carter, I don't. This is completely platonic. My job is to be your security blanket, right?"

Her eyes danced away from his. "Well, something like that. Is that okay?"

"You know it is."

"Thank you."

"I've got a kitchen to clean, woman, now scoot." He tried to sound gruff but suspected she wasn't buying any of it.

Sam was in bed by the time he entered the bedroom, he grabbed a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt out of his bag and headed for the bathroom. When he was done he switched off the light and found the bed in the dark by feel. He settled down on the opposite side to Sam and got settled, when Sam rolled over and scooted closer to him, lying her head on his chest. "'Night, Jack," she murmured sleepily.

Yeah, easy for her to say. He wrapped an arm around her. "Sweet dreams, Sam."

************

Jack awoke suddenly and his fight or flight instinct immediately kicked in. Before he could even think clearly, he'd grabbed Sam's wrists. He thought she was attacking him until he felt her lips on his neck. She was sobbing hysterically, kissing him wherever she could find skin. She'd pushed his T-shirt up and was kissing his chest, when he managed to push her away from him and flip on the light.

"Sam! What the hell are you doing?"

"I want you. Make love to me…please?" She reached over and pulled her nightshirt over her head and practically threw herself at him again. This wasn't passion, this was cold, pure dread. He grabbed her shoulders and held her back. "Carter. Stop it. Come on, cut it out!" She'd bit his earlobe--hard. "Damn."

"Don't you want me?" She sounded so pitiful his heart clenched.

"Sam, Sam, listen to me, did you have another dream? Is that what brought all this on?"

She responded by bursting into tears, dropping her head to his shoulder and sobbing against him. He gathered her naked form against his chest and rocked her while he made shushing noises, just letting her get it out of her system.

As he held Sam against him, feeling her naked breasts pressed against his chest, he thought that on the day he died, he wanted St. Peter to give him extra brownie points for the restraint the was showing at this moment.

**************


	5. Chapter 5

Broken Wings, by TracyT

Part 5

See disclaimer in Part 1

Feedback to: 

"Okay, okay, I've got you," Jack held Sam with one arm, while grabbing up her nightshirt with the other. He held her away from him and pulled the shirt over her head. He gathered her to him again and let her cry it out. Finally, after a long while, she started to calm down and her shaking began to subside. He rocked her gently, making shushing noises and stroking her hair. In a while she was quiet, but gave a sniffle, so he grabbed some tissues from the nightstand and wiped her face gently. Sam pulled away and moved to the end of the bed where she hugged her arms around herself.

"Sam," Jack reached for her, but she pulled away. "Sam," he said more firmly, grabbing hold of her arms. "Look at me." She did so reluctantly. "Sam, it's not that I don't want you," Sam hiccupped a sob and tried to pull away, but he held on to her tightly. "It's NOT. It's just that when, please God, WHEN we make love I want it to be because it's the right time and we both want it, not because you need someone to chase your nightmares away, okay?" He pulled her toward him and kissed her forehead. "Now, do you want to talk about it?"

Sam fisted away a tear. "No…I can't right now. It's too….fresh."

"Okay, fine, I completely understand. Do you feel like going back to sleep, or… do you want me to whip up a midnight snack?"

Sam was silent for a moment, then she looked up at him. "Like what?"

Jack shrugged. "I don't know, ice cream sundaes?"

Sam lifted one shoulder. "Okay," she said in a small voice.

Jack smiled and held a hand out to her. "Great. Come on."

*********

He actually got a smile out of her while he scooped out the ice cream. While she sat on a stool at the bar, he got out the bowls and ice cream, and started telling her what he was doing in his best imitation of the Muppets Swedish Chef. It took a few minutes, but she reluctantly began to grin at what he was saying.

They sat on the couch and ate their sundaes, and Jack was satisfied that Sam managed to get down about half of hers. He never pushed her, never pressured her to eat, he'd just say, "eat what you want," and she seemed to be doing a little better every day.

Finally, he shooed her off to bed with the excuse that he had to clean up. He washed up the dishes and put everything away, but when he found himself headed for the bedroom, he stopped. The couch was the better bet tonight, he thought to himself. He wasn't kidding Sam when he told her that he hadn't put her off because he didn't want her. Quite the contrary, and truth be known, his body had reacted quite favorably. Too favorably. He wouldn't use her like that. It wasn't right. This was about helping Sam, not what he wanted.

With a sigh, he dug the pillow and blanket out of the closet and prepared himself to spend an uncomfortable night on the couch.

*********

The next morning Jack stood at the kitchen sink eating his cereal when Sam emerged from the bedroom. He'd snuck in earlier and used the shower, and Sam had been sleeping soundly, so he'd let her stay in bed as long as she needed.

"Hey," he said softly holding up his spoon in greeting. No answer. He put the bowl in the sink and came toward her, hands in his pockets. "Bad night? I mean after…"

"It was fine." Sam slumped on the couch looking a bit sulky.

Jack watched her silently for a few moments. "Uh, I was thinking of going to Wal-Mart this morning. We really need to replace that old TV. Wanna go with me?" He fully expected her to tease him about it. He'd told her the story of the first trip there and what Marla had said, but Sam didn't rise to the bait.

Sam fiddled with the tie to her black robe and wouldn't meet his eye. "No. You go."

Jack bounced a little on the balls of his feet. "You sure? Nothing like a trip to Wally World to get the day started."

Sam shook her head. "I have a headache. I'd rather stay here if you don't mind."

Jack frowned. "Want me to get you some Advil?" Sam's lips tightened and she shook her head. "Okay, suit yourself. There's cereal and bagels in the kitchen. Anything I can pick up for you?"

"No. Thanks."

"Okay," He scooped up the keys to the Jeep. "I'll be back in a bit."

*************

He managed to navigate through the store without encountering Marla, which was a relief. The TV was still on sale, so he thanked the credit card gods he got points on his card, got through the check-out and loaded it up in the Jeep.

When he got back, Aggie waved him down as he pulled into the driveway. "Whatcha got there?"

"A new TV. The old black and white just wasn't cutting it."

Aggie examined the box. "Fancy. Hey, before you worry, Sam's taken the dogs for a walk on the beach."

Jack nodded. "Okay, thanks. Hey, you wouldn't happen to have any tools I could borrow, do you?"

"Sure, they're in the shed. Come with me." She led him over to the large shed that ran opposite the house and pulled back the sliding door. "Whoa!" Jack was amazed. The place was packed top to bottom. "Got enough stuff in here?"

Aggie chuckled. "Some of it's my husband's, some of it's Ronny's, some of it's my daughter Susie's. Stuff she had in her apartment before she got married. She slid a large metal box out from behind a mattress.

"Have you HEARD of a yard sale?"

Aggie cackled. "Joe always used to accuse me of not being able to let stuff go. Guess he's right. Here's the tools. Jack?" Jack was examining a new looking gas grill. "That's Ronny's, but he's only used it once that I know of. Want to borrow it?"

Jack looked at her like she'd just offered him a million dollars. "Could I?"

"Sure. You might need to get a new propane tank, but it's in good shape."

"Sweet."

*************

Later, Jack was sitting in the middle of the floor reading over the instructions to affix the television to the wall when his cell phone rang. He frowned, fished it out of his pocket and answered. "O'Neill."

"Colonel O'Neill, I expected to hear from you before this."

"General Hammond, sir." He knew Hammond couldn't see him, but he stood anyway. "I apologize sir, but things have been….complicated."

"I understand, Colonel, but you know you can't stay away indefinitely. "You're needed here."

"Sir, Sam's not in good shape. Whatever Ba'al did to her has really traumatized her. She says she's not coming back, and I won't leave her here alone. I'll retire again if I have to."

He heard Hammond sigh. "Jack, I know you want to help Major Carter." Silence. "I'll put you both on administrative leave. That should buy you some time, but I can't keep that up indefinitely. There are people I answer to as well, you know."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate that. I'm hoping I can convince her to come back eventually."

"All right. Keep in touch, Colonel. Dr. Jackson and Teal'c are worried about both of you."

"Yes, sir. Thank you General Hammond. I'll give them a call."

Jack turned as he ended the call, and met Sam's eyes. She looked like she'd been slapped. He could read the look of betrayal in her eyes clearly before she turned and ran out the door.

"Sam! Wait! Dammit." He ran out the door after her, just to see her disappear down the steps to the beach. He ran after her and saw her head down the wooden steps to the beach. As he got to the third step, the old, weathered wood cracked and gave way, plunging his foot and leg down into the hole. Jack yelled and fell backward. He could barely keep himself conscious. The pain was incredible. He clapped a hand to his head and writhed in agony.

"Jack?" He heard a voice behind him, and Aggie appeared over him. "Good God. Tyler! Josh!" She yelled to someone over her shoulder. "Go get Abner and call 911!" She reached for Jack's hand as she knelt over him and he grabbed it in a painful grip.

"Aggie, get Sam. Go get Sam!" All he could think was that Sam was getting farther and farther away. She was his last thought before he blacked out.

***********


	6. Chapter 6

Broken Wings, by TracyT

Part 6

See disclaimer in Part 1

Feedback to: 

"Sam," Jack awoke in the ambulance with an older gentleman leaning over him. The man had on a beige windbreaker and his white hair was covered by an old, battered fishing hat. When he smiled at Jack his smile was partially hidden by a shaggy, white moustache. He patted Jack's hand. "It's okay, young fella, you're on the way to the hospital. I'm Abner Wilhoite, Dr. Abner Wilhoite, Aggie's brother. You're just lucky I was visiting when all this happened. Whoa, hang on there," He held a restraining hand against Jack's shoulder as Jack tried to rise. "Best not to sit up right now, okay?"

"Sam, where's Sam?" Jack grimaced in pain and flopped back down.

"You mean the pretty young lady with the blonde hair? She's with Aggie. They should be following us by now. She was pretty worried about you, I can tell you that."

"She was? Oh. Good." That meant Sam hadn't run off someplace.

Abner chuckled. "If you say so. You wrenched your knee pretty good there. I see by the scars you've had it operated on before, am I right?"

"Yeah, both of them."

Abner nodded. "Well, from what I could tell on the scene, you didn't break anything, and I think it's just a bad wrench, nothing seems to be torn. Hopefully you won't need surgery again."

Jack nodded in silence, gritting his teeth against the pain. It sure as hell felt to him like it had torn, but he didn't say anything.

They made it to the hospital and the next hour and a half was filled with examinations, CAT scans and cortisone shots. Finally Jack was left to himself to rest until the doctor came to see him. He was lying quietly with his eyes closed when the door opened.

"Jack!" It was Sam grabbing his hand and hanging on. "Are you all right?"

Jack managed a weak smile. "I am now. You're a sight for sore eyes, Carter."

She smiled back but here eyes were suspiciously bright. "I was worried about you."

"Listen Sam, about that…"

She put her fingers over his lips and shook her head. "No need. I guess I sort of… over reacted. I know you'd have to check in with General Hammond now and then, it's just my first impression was off, I guess."

Jack squeezed her hand. "I'd never lie to you Sam, or try to trick you, believe me."

"I know that." Jack found himself looking silently into Sam's eyes until the doctor came in and interrupted them.

"Mr. O'Neill? I'm Dr. Benson. Is this Mrs. O'Neill?" He indicated Sam.

Jack and Sam smiled at each other. "Actually Dr., it's…"

"Jack and Sam," Sam supplied. "Just call us Jack and Sam." Jack gave her a surprised look, but then turned and smiled at the doctor, playing along.

"Well, Jack, Sam, nothing appears to be torn or broken. You have wrenched your knee pretty severely, and I want you off of it for the next few days. Dr. Wilhoite has offered to administer cortisone shots on a regular basis, and that should get things on the mend. I want to see you back here in a week and we'll see how you're doing, all right?"

Later Jack was discharged and put in the back of his truck with his leg stretched out across the seat. Sam and Aggie had driven the truck to the hospital and Jack was very thankful it wasn't the Jeep.

Sam and Aggie got him settled into the big bed in the guest house, propped him up on pillows and Sam gave him a Vicodan with a glass of water. Not surprisingly, he found himself very sleepy once the drugs had kicked in, and slept until after dark. He awoke feeling groggy and disoriented. He ran a hand across his face. "Sam?" He called out.

The bedroom door was opened almost immediately. "Jack. You're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Druggy, but nothing hurts."

Sam switched on the bedside lamp and stood over him, smiling. "Good. Are you hungry?"

Jack frowned. "No. Not really. The drugs usually kill my appetite." And made his mouth rather dry. "Thirsty." Sam handed him the glass of water again. "I'll get you some more water with ice in it this time. Maybe you can eat something later. I don't cook like you do, but I'll make up some soup and grilled cheese sandwiches when you want it."

"Thanks."

That night Jack awoke to realize Sam was in bed with him, snuggled up against him. He sighed in relief and went back to sleep.

Over the next few days their roles were reversed. Sam was taking care of him, instead of the other way around. He refused to use the male version of a bed pan, so Sam had to help him to the bathroom, then left him to it while she waited outside the door. She got him an electric razor and a mirror so he could shave himself, and although her meals were simple, she made sure he ate at regular times and took his medicine. It surprised him that it seemed to do her good to look after him and he was glad to see the progress she was making.

On the third day she came in and stood looking at him with her hands on her hips. "Dr. Benson says you should try to do some walking starting today."

Jack snorted. "Well, that's not going to happen." As soon as the Vicodan wore off his leg throbbed horribly.

"You can lean on me while you do it."

Jack shook his head. "Nope. No can do."

Sam sighed. "I can see I'm going to have to make it worth your while. While you've been laid up in here, I got the plasma TV up and working, and guess what's on tonight? The Simpson's. Think you could drag yourself out to the living room to see that?"

Jack thought for a moment. "You couldn't bring the little TV in here for me to watch?"

Sam shook her head decisively. "Nope. You said it yourself. You can't watch the Simpson's on an old black and white TV. Just think," she stepped close to the bed. "Homer Simpson in glorious color on a 42-inch plasma TV. You haven't even had a chance to break the new TV in yet."

"You drive a hard bargain, Carter."

Sam grinned. "Yep."

"Okay. I guess I could make it the few steps necessary to make it to the couch."

"That's all I ask."

When the time came to make his way out to the living room, Sam appeared with a cane for him to lean on. "Aggie gave it to me. It was her husband Joe's."

Jack took the wooden cane from her and frowned at it. "This is for an old man. You couldn't come up with a cool walking stick, with maybe an ivory handle shaped like a dog or a dragon or something? Maybe one of those that has a sword hidden inside."

Sam snorted. "Sorry, not one of my choices. You'll have to make do with this."

She helped him put a robe over his sweats and T-shirt, then sat next to him on the edge of the bed and draped one of his arms across her shoulder, while putting an arm around his waist. She put the cane in his opposite hand. "Ready?"

"No…but as ready as I'm going to be." Jack put his weight on the cane and held onto Sam as they both stood.

It was slow going, but they made it to the couch and Jack dropped gratefully down onto it with a groan, breathing heavily.

Sam put his leg up on an ottoman, covered him with a blanket and handed him the remote. "Okay, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Easy for you to say."

Sam grinned and fussed with the blanket a little. "Think you have everything you need?"

Jack looked around him. Glass of water, Vicodan, remote. "Yep. I think I'm good."

"I need to run to the store for a few things. Think you'll be all right while I'm gone?"

Again, Jack was struck how their roles were reversed. "I'm fine, Carter. I plan to revel in the latest episode of the Simpson's. Go do what you need to do."

Sam still hadn't returned by the time the Simpson's was over, and Jack got bored very quickly. He looked around the room, and spotted the office chair next to the desk. The office chair with wheels. He stuck the hook of his cane out and snagged the arm of the chair and pulled it toward him. He maneuvered himself into the chair, and voila! He was mobile.

He wheeled himself into the kitchen and checked the fridge. Leftover chicken from the fettuccine, a bag of frozen vegetables and he could make a chicken stew. He pulled out a tube of biscuit dough from the door. They could have stew and rolls for supper. Maybe he'd make a salad, too.

Forty-five minutes later he had the stew simmering and was chopping vegetables for the salad. He'd turned on the stereo and Joe Cocker was singing "It's All Right," with Jack accompanying him on acoustics with knife handle or wooden spoon on the pots and pans. He was singing along, when he felt a presence and looked up to find Sam watching him with a smirk on her face.

"I leave you alone for five minutes and look what you get into. You're supposed to be resting."

Jack picked up the remote to turn the volume down on the radio. "I got bored, so I decided to make some stew." He indicated the chair. "At least I'm staying off my feet." He looked up at her hopefully.

Sam sighed and put her grocery bag down on the counter. "Well, your stew is probably going to be better than my grilled cheese and canned soup."

They ate in front of the TV again, and the food tasted a whole lot better when you had a 42-inch plasma, Jack decided.

Later he showed Sam how self-sufficient he was by wheeling himself into the bathroom and brushing his teeth before getting into bed. Sam took her turn, then came in and sat on the side of the bed. "Do you need anything before I turn out the light?"

"Nope. I'm good."

Sam nodded and got into bed. Jack was careful to leave one of the bedside lamps lit for the night. He found if Sam was in complete darkness the nightmares came much more quickly.

He slept very well that night, and woke with the dawn. Once again, the French doors were pushed open and Francesca was asleep in their room, this time in the chair in the corner. Sam was snuggled up against him and as he turned his head to look at her, she opened her eyes.

They gazed at each other for a few seconds, and then it was the most natural thing in the world to close the distance between them and kiss her. Sam responded with a small moan, pulling him closer. He put his arms around her and rolled her under him, kissing her more passionately.

He was so caught up in the kiss it took him a few moments to realize Sam was struggling against him, whimpering.

"Please. Stop. Get off me." She was frantic.

Jack immediately rolled to the side. "Carter, what's wrong?" With a sob Sam was up. Before he could stop her she ran out the doors toward the beach.

"Sam! Damn!" He struggled to get into the chair, knowing with a sense of panic that she had too much of a head start to catch up with her.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Broken Wings, by TracyT

Part 7

See disclaimer in Part 1

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Jack finally gave up on the chair, pushed it aside, threw back the covers and grabbed the cane. At this point he was nearly frantic wanting to follow Sam. He ignored the pain in his knee and hobbled out the doors expecting her to be down on the beach by now, but she wasn't. She was standing on the front porch near the glider, holding on to the railing.

"Sam, God, I'm sorry. What did I do? Did I hurt you? What just happened?" He pretty much knew what just happened, but part of his brain denied it. Didn't want to acknowledge it. Jack started toward her, only to have her hold up a sudden restraining hand and back away with fear in her eyes.

"No. Don't. Don't come near me right now." She stood breathing heavily for a moment, looking out toward the sea rather than at him. She reached up and wiped a tear away from her cheek before saying in a shaky voice, "He forced me. Over and over again."

Even though Jack had suspected as much, his blood boiled at her words. "Ba'al?"

Sam nodded. "He…He wanted to create a Hok'taur, a perfect human. At first he wanted me to…to…mate with Jalen, but we both refused, no matter how they tortured us. Then he'd put us in the sarcophagus and start all over again."

"Yeah. I know."

"Yes. It was almost like when you were held by him, but in this case he wanted me, because I had the protein markers from Jolinar, he wanted me to have a baby with a host who carried a symbiote. He planned on keeping me until the baby was born and then…well, I don't know what, but he planned on the baby being his little guinea pig, I guess. I tried to tell him that it was the very protein markers he valued in me that made it very unlikely I could get pregnant, but he wouldn't listen. He's such an ego-maniac he finally decided he would father the child, or at least try to. He forced me to have sex with him several times and when I didn't get pregnant he took his anger out on me and Jalen. Mostly me . Then I'd wake up in the dark in the sarcophagus again and it would start all over. I just wanted to die." At these words she broke down and cried. Jack approached her, but again, she held him off.

"No. Don't touch me, please."

Jack didn't touch her but he didn't back off, either. "Sam, I know what you're going through. I know what it's like when you just want it to end, but you're safe now. No matter what happened you have to get it in your head that Ba'al can't touch you now. It took me over a month of sleepless nights, night sweats and nightmares to finally take my life back and you know how I did that?"

Sam sniffled. "No. How?"

"I started making myself get up at the same time every morning. I watched the Simpson's and taped it when I wasn't home. I got to work again and went out on missions. I had team pizza and beer nights with you guys. I got season tickets for the Avalanche. I did everything I could think of that made my life routine and normal again, because I decided that every time I laughed at something on the TV or got into a hockey game or hung out with you guys, every time I did something like that, Ba'al lost. He couldn't win when my life was back to normal again. When I found pleasure in things and felt friendship with you guys. He didn't win. I did. Now, granted, it was an effort at first, but after a while it got more and more normal until I hardly thought of him at all. That's how I won."

Sam looked up at him with sad eyes. "That's what you're trying to do for me, isn't it? That's why we go to Leo's and have cinnamon rolls and go to the swap meets and take the dogs for a walk on the beach, isn't it?"

"Yeah. That's it. Don't you see? Every time we have fun doing something normal, Ba'al loses and we win. God, I'm trying to pull you back, Sam, and I may be the only one who knows how close you are to the edge. Let me help you. Please."

Sam stood silently for a few moments. "You need to let me take things my own way. My time to get better may not be your time. You have to let me do it my way."

Jack breathed a sigh of relief. "That's all I ask. If I push too hard, tell me. If you don't want to do something, tell me. That's all I want."

"Right now I just want some space. I'm going down to the beach and you're going to go in and get off that knee." She said this almost defiantly, although her voice shook.

Jack wanted to object. He didn't want to let he go out there alone, but he wouldn't push. "Okay. When you come back we'll decide what we can do today, all right?"

Sam nodded silently and gave him a look that was almost wary. Without another word she went around the railing and disappeared down the steps to the beach. Jack watched her go until she completely disappeared from his sight. He still felt fear while watching her go, but another emotion took precedence right now. Rage. He had suspected Sam had been sexually assaulted, but wouldn't really face the fact until she came right out and said it.

He tried to get his breathing under control, but all he wanted to do right now was find Ba'al, reach into his head, rip the snake out and feed it to him. He went back into the house and found himself pacing back and forth. He felt the pressure building in his head until he wanted to shout his brains out or hit something--or both. He wanted to pound his fists against the wall until they were bloody. Without thought he grabbed a bowl off the kitchen island and hurled it at the wall with all his might. It shattered into a million tiny pieces that Jack found that immensely satisfying.

He thought for a few minutes, then he found his cell phone, pressing one of the speed dial numbers. When the person on the other end picked up he said, "Daniel. No, don't talk. Just listen. I want you to do something for me."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Broken Wings, by TracyT

Part 8

See disclaimer in Part 1

Feedback to: 

Jack knew he should be taking his shower and shaving, not to mention eating breakfast, but instead he sat on the edge of the couch and waited for Sam to return like some father waiting for his daughter to return from her first date. She finally appeared nearly an hour later, and he breathed a sigh of relief when she walked through the door. She looked a lot more composed and that was a relief, too.

"Sam…"

She held up a hand to stop him. "No. I don't want to talk about it, okay? If I talk about it I have to relive it in my head and I really don't want to do that. At least not right now."

Jack forced a smile. "Okay. Fair enough." He pushed himself to his feet with help from the cane. "Want some breakfast?" He started toward the kitchen.

"I can get it. Besides, you're supposed to rest that knee."

Jack turned toward her with a grimace. "I thought you just told me the Doc wants me to walk on it."

"A little. Just to get the muscles working again. He doesn't want you to overdo it."

"I think I can manage to put a couple bagels in the toaster oven, Carter."

She stopped him with a hand on his arm. "So can I. Go take your shower and I'll have breakfast ready when you get out." When he paused she added, "That's an order, mister." He raised his eyebrows at her and she added, "I need to keep busy, right?"

"Uh, right." He gestured toward the bathroom. "Give me ten minutes."

"You got it. Go."

He showered and shaved, got dressed and re-wrapped his knee with an ace bandage. He padded out to the kitchen in his bare feet, carrying his shoes. His knee hurt, but it was tolerable. Abner was supposed to come by today and give him another cortisone shot. That would help.

Sam gave him a small smile, and placed a plate with a sesame bagel covered in cream cheese toward him. She poured orange juice for both of them and they sat at the bar munching their breakfast.

"So," Jack said around a mouthful of food. "What's on the agenda today?"

"Well, you need to stay off that knee so we stay around here, I guess. We can explore the pleasures of the 42-inch plasma TV."

"The knee's much better, really. I should be able to…"

"Ah!" Sam held up a hand. "Not until Abner gives you the green light. You don't want to aggravate it and make it worse. Besides, I looked in the paper. The Avalanche are playing Anaheim this afternoon."

"That's what DVR's are for. I'm going stir crazy in here, Sam."

"Well, maybe after Abner comes today and after the hockey game, *I* can take *you* for a drive this afternoon. How about that?"

Jack considered. "I think that would be good. Great, in fact. It's a deal." He silently marveled how much better Sam seemed when it was she who was watching over him instead of the other way around. Whatever works, he decided.

They were loading the dishes in the dishwasher, or rather Sam was while Jack watched from a bar stool, when they heard a voice.

"Knock, knock." It was Abner carrying his medical bag. He beamed at them. "Good morning, you two. I'm not too early am I?"

"Not at all. Come on in, Abner." Jack gave lie to his healed status by using the cane to make it over to the couch, something he knew Sam was watching closely. He sat down and propped his foot up on the ottoman. Abner sat next to him and began to unwrap his knee. "Let's see how it looks. How have you been doing since I last saw you?"

"Better." Abner looked at the knee and gave him a somewhat doubtful look. "Well, some better." At that Abner nodded. "The swelling's gone down some, but not as much as I expected. Have you been taking the Vicodan?"

"Off and on. It makes me sort of nauseous and woozy. Advil works better."

"Hmmm, well I can change it to Darvoset, if you think that would help."

Jack grimaced. "Oh no. I took Darvoset once and I blew chunks big time. No, no, no. I'll stick with the Vicodan and Advil."

"You can take up to four Advil. That's the equivalent of prescription strength, and the Vicodan will help with the pain, but you don't take them together, right? That would be bad." Abner filled a syringe as he spoke.

"No, definitely not together." He cleared his throat loudly and gave Sam a look from under his eyebrows. She knew he had done just that. Taken them together when the pain was at its worst. Thankfully Sam just gave him a look and held her tongue.

Abner gave him the shot, and Jack hissed in pain. "Doc, geez, do you have to stick it in right where it hurts the most?"

"It wouldn't do much good if I didn't. You should stay off the knee as much as possible for a couple more days. When you do have to walk, use the cane to help you. Call me if you have any problems, all right?"

Sam offered him coffee, but Abner said he had to get back to town. "I may be retired, but there's a chess match at City Hall today, and I'm entered."

"You live an exciting life, Abner," Jack said wryly.

"Hey, I've got money on this match. I could clean up. Oh," He fished something out of his coat pocket. "I brought you a copy of the town newspaper. It's got news from the town and all the activities going on for the next week. Thought you might want to look it over."

Jack took the small, four-page paper and looked over the front page. "Thanks Abner. I'm all aquiver."

"Well, you can't do anything for a couple more days, anyway, but you can see what's going on. We know how to have fun around here, I'll have you know."

Sam and Jack shared a smile and bid Abner good-bye. Sam brought him four Advil and a glass of water, then handed him the remote.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"I haven't had my shower yet, remember?"

"Oh. Yeah." When Sam continued to stand over him he waved the remote at her.

"Go. Clean up. I'm fine."

While Sam was gone, Jack channel-surfed for a while, but the relief the shot had given him relaxed him to the point he found himself nodding off. It wasn't until he felt himself being covered with a blanket that he woke up to find Sam standing over him. She was wearing shorts and a T-shirt and her hair was still wet. She was smiling down at him. "Go back to sleep if you need it. Aggie said she had something to show me, so I'm going up to the house for a few minutes."

"Oh? What's she going to show you?"

Sam shrugged. "Not sure. I'll let you know when I come back, okay?"

Jack fought down the urge to go with her, and merely nodded. "Okay. Have fun."

The hockey game started soon after that, and while Jack kept up with the proceedings, one ear was tuned to any sound that indicated Sam was coming back. Soon he heard Sam and Aggie's voices. Sam sounded rather excited, he thought. She appeared in the doorway a few minutes later, and she was smiling.

"I need to go to Wal-Mart," she said with some urgency in her voice. "Wanna come? We can get you one of those little motorized shopping carts."

Jack grimaced. "Ha, ha, Miss Smarty Pants. What's so urgent?"

Sam's smile grew. "I need to do some emergency surgery."

Jack's eyebrows rose. "Oh? On what? Or whom?"

Sam gestured toward the porch. "Come see."

Jack grabbed the cane and struggled off the couch. He followed Sam out the doors and there was an old, battered motorcycle sitting there.

"Oh. A motorcycle." It looked like it didn't run and rust was the only thing holding it together.

"It's an Indian," Sam said lovingly. "It was Joe's, Aggie's husband's. It's been in the shed since he died. I'd told Aggie once, that I had a motorcycle at home that I'd refurbished and she thought I might like to tinker around with this one. That's why I need to go to Wal-Mart. Joe had some tools, but Ronny took most of the good ones. I need to get tools and motor oil and such to start working on this."

"Well, I think your patient is DOA, but if you want to give it a try, I'm game."

"I need to get my life back, right? This is my first project."

Jack found himself smiling. "Okay. Let's go."

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Broken Wings, by TracyT

Part 9

See disclaimer in Part 1

Feedback to: 

Sam helped Jack get into the Jeep and she did the driving to Wal-Mart. They walked through the sliding doors and Jack paused. The place was enormous, and he wasn't sure his knee would take it, but did he dare admit this to Sam? He cut his eyes to her and found her watching him.

"Jack, if your knee is bothering you, why not take advantage?" She motioned toward the motorized carts.

"You wouldn't think I'm a sissy?"

"No, of course not. They're there for people who need assistance. Yours is just temporary, but why tax your knee when you can do it the easy way?"

Still feeling a little silly, Jack conceded. Once he got that hang of the thing it was kind of fun buzzing around the store. He liked making the other shoppers scurry out of his way. The only thing missing was a horn. Then he saw Marla. She immediately noticed he was with Sam and gave him a little finger wave with a sad smile on her face. Jack raised a hand and smiled back, but inside he fought back some guilt.

Sam headed for the automotive department with her own cart (non-motorized) while he told her he was going to pick some things up in the grocery section. Then he made a little detour.

He buzzed over to the automotive department but Sam was nowhere to be found. It took him several minutes to locate her in the Garden department looking a the flowers.

"Is that project number two?" He asked as he glided up to her.

Sam smiled. "Could be. I like gardening, but haven't had time to do any in a long time. Do you think Aggie would mind if I grew a pot garden around the guest house?"

Personally Jack thought Aggie would let Sam dig up the whole lawn if she wanted to, but merely replied, "She might. What would you plant?"

"Impatiens do well in this climate. Coleus, too. I'd have to research some other plants." She fingered a peach colored begonia. "After mom died Dad had this brilliant idea for Mark and I to have a vegetable garden. He was the only one who liked the idea. At first."

"You eventually gave in?"

Sam huffed out a laugh. "Mark thought it was sooo not cool, but after a while I found I liked digging around and watching the results of my efforts grow. It was kind of fun."

"Well, get some plants now if you want."

Sam shook her head. "One project at a time. Let me get the motorcycle project in the works, then I may start some gardening. We'll see. What did you get?"

Jack quickly shifted some of the groceries around to cover what was in the bottom of his cart. "Oh, this and that. I was thinking of broiling some steaks tonight. You up for it?"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Sounds good to me." She escorted him to the check out, but as they got closer Jack said, "Listen, why don't you put your stuff in my cart and I'll get us checked out. You go get the Jeep and meet me by the front door, okay?"

Sam looked doubtful. "I was going to pay for the motorcycle stuff myself. You don't need to pay for everything, you know. I've got money."

"Okay, give me your credit card. This shopping trip's on you."

"It's a deal." Sam handed her card over and told him she'd meet him by the front door.

Jack bought most of the stuff with Sam's card, but the last four items he paid for. He got one of the stock boys to carry the bags, while he returned the cart to its place by the front door. Sam got out and helped him back into the Jeep, while she and the stock boy loaded the bags in.

When they got home, Sam made sure he got inside all right, then brought the bags in. She started to unload them, but Jack grabbed one away from her. "Uhm, I bought you something."

"You did? What?" Jack handed her the bag. Inside were three magazines, "Scientific American," "Popular Science," and "Discover." Sam looked at him, eyes wide. "Wow. Wal-Mart sells these? Thank you."

"Yeah, who knew? There's one more thing in there. She reached in and brought out a spiral notebook." "What's this for?"

"Every day I want you to write down at least three things you're grateful for, and everything you can think of that you accomplished that day. Number one should be that you're continuing to breathe. You need to do it every day for it to work."

"For what to work?"

"You have to take your life back Sam, or Ba'al will own you for the rest of your life." Jack gave her a solemn look.

Sam held the book and magazines to her chest and nodded wordlessly.

*********

Jack got to work in the kitchen while Sam went outside and began tinkering with the motorcycle. He was glad she'd found something to get her going, even if it looked like the motorcycle needed a major overhaul.

Later, he called out, "Hey, Sam. Supper's ready."

"Okay, just a minute," she called back.

A few minutes later, as he was putting the salads on the counter, Sam came in wiping her hands on a rag. She had a smudge of grease on her nose, but she looked bright eyed and happy and that made him happy. He gave her a grin. "Dinner is served."

"Mmm, smells good. Just let me clean up. I'll be right back."

Soon she was back and they decided to eat in front of the TV while the news was on. Sam helped him clean up afterward.

"Hey," Jack turned from loading the dishwasher with an inspired idea. "Wanna go down to the beach and make a fire in one of the fire pits? We can sit and listen to the sound of the ocean and roast marshmallows or something."

"Okay, sounds like fun, but can you make it down the steps to the beach? Do you even want to try it?" Sam looked worried.

"I'm willing to give it a try if you are. Are you game?"

Sam shrugged. "Sure. Let's do it."

They took some old newspapers and matches down to the beach. Sam brought a blanket for them to sit on. They gathered a bit of driftwood from the beach and Jack got the fire going. It was cool in the evenings here, so they huddled together and soaked up the warmth from the flames. Jack dug his toes into the sand and looked over at Sam. He couldn't help but admire how beautiful she looked with the firelight on her face. She caught him looking and gave him a little grin.

"What?"

"Nothin'. Just admiring the view."

Sam's grin grew. "So, did you really bring marshmallows?"

Jack reached behind him for the bag. "I certainly did. And I found some good sticks for skewers, too." They toasted marshmallows. Jack stuck his right in the flames until it was nearly black. Sam, in typical Sam fashion, calculated just how close her marshmallow should get to reach a nice golden brown on all sides before eating hers.

"How can you eat them burnt like that?" Sam wrinkled her nose.

Jack answered by sliding it off the stick and stuffing the whole marshmallow in his mouth, causing Sam to giggle. She took a delicate bite of hers, leaving it on the stick.

Once they'd eaten their fill of marshmallows, they sat side by side and gazed into the fire. Jack felt Sam lean her head on his shoulder and sighed in contentment. Soon the weight of her head grew heavier, and he knew she was nearly asleep.

"Hey," he said softly. "Time to pack up and head home." Sam nodded sleepily and roused herself to help him douse the fire and get their things before making the long walk up the steps toward home. As they walked she linked fingers with him, and although he was surprised he didn't resist, he just squeezed her hand and gave her a little smile.

As they reached the top of the stairs, they heard a sound. "What was that?" Jack scanned the area, and suddenly dropped Sam's hand. "Aggie!" He started running as best he could toward the house. He heard Sam gasp and soon she was passing him on her way toward Aggie. Apparently Aggie had come out for her last cigarette of the night, leaned on the old railing and it had given way. It had collapsed onto the drive and Aggie was lying on the ruins, moaning in pain. "Help," she said weakly.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Broken Wings, by Tracy T

Part 10

See disclaimer in Part 1

Feedback to: 

Sam reached Aggie first, and had to shoo a worried Francesca away to get to her. The other dogs were circling around looking scared and worried, too.

"Aggie," Sam knelt down and cupped her cheek. "Listen to me. Don't move right now, okay? What hurts?"

"My wrist. I tried to stop myself when I fell, and I felt it snap." Both Jack and Sam winced at the description. "I hit my head, too." Sam nodded. There was a trickle of blood on Aggie's forehead. "My side hurts some. Damned old porch. The sea air just eats into the wood until it crumbles. I haven't kept up the painting like Joe did. Guess this is mostly my fault."

Jack had his cell phone out and dialed 911, getting the ambulance on the way. "Aggie, can you tell me Abner's number?"

"Oh, don't tell Abner, he'll just scold me." Aggie tried to move, but Sam held her still.

"Aggie, Abner needs to know. What's his number?" Jack gave her his best Colonel look and Aggie caved, reciting the number.

Jack spoke with Abner, who wanted to come out to the house right now, but Jack told him to meet them at the hospital since the ambulance could be heard in the distance.

When the ambulance arrived, one of the medics grinned at Jack. "Not you this time, eh?" It was the same crew that had come when Jack had been hurt.

"Not this time," Jack agreed, gesturing to where Aggie lay.

The ambulance crew got Aggie stabilized then got her up on a gurney and loaded her into the ambulance.

Jack took Sam's arm and said softly, "Sam, why don't you go with Aggie, I'll follow in the Jeep."

"Jack, you can't drive with your knee like that. You go with Aggie. I'll meet you at the hospital." Jack wanted to object, but Sam's argument made more sense.

"Okay, see you there."

*************

Jack was sitting in the waiting room, staring at the floor, when a Styrofoam cup of coffee entered his field of vision. He looked up to find Sam as the bearer of gifts. He smiled and took his cup, while she settled next to him with hers. "Any news yet?"

Jack shook his head. "No. Abner went to see what he could find out, but he's not back yet."

Sam nodded and sipped her coffee. Aggie's nephews, Tyler and Josh were sitting with their parents, Abner's son Kevin and his wife Maggie. All of them were somber and quiet. They nodded civilly to Jack and Sam with a smile, but they weren't very talkative.

Jack was surprised when Sam leaned into him a bit. He wasn't objecting, this was nice, but it was also somewhat unexpected. He reacted by laying his arm across the back of the couch possessively. He gave her a small smile, which she returned silently.

Abner came bustling back into the room, and everyone stood. "Well, she's got a concussion, two broken ribs and a broken wrist. She'll be fine, but she's been admitted for a few days."

"Can we go see her?" Kevin asked.

Abner shook his head. "Not tonight, son, they have her sedated. We'll come back tomorrow and see her, okay?"

After some polite good-byes Kevin's family headed for home. Jack put an arm around Sam and started to shepherd her toward the door when Abner stopped him.

"Jack, Sam, thanks for all you did for Aggie. Who knows how long she would have laid there if you hadn't found her and called for help."

"Not a problem, Abner, just wish we'd found her sooner."

Abner nodded. "Uh, listen, could I ask you folks to take care of the dogs for a while? I can come during the day, but it's a problem for me at night. I don't see too well in the dark. It's hard for me to drive."

"We'd be happy to. We'll keep an eye on the house, too." Jack assured him

Abner smiled. "Thank you both." He fished around in his pocket. "Here's her house key." He handed it over.

"Well, thanks, Abner, but come to think of it, I don't think we had any time to lock the doors before we left."

Abner chuckled. "Not to worry. The dogs won't let any strangers in. Have you heard them when they all get to barking?"

Jack and Sam exchanged a look. Jack cleared his throat. "Oh, once or twice."

****************

Later that night Jack woke with Sam's head heavy on his shoulder. He carefully adjusted his position, then froze when he heard heavy snoring from the floor. Oh. Yeah. The dogs had whined so pitifully when they got home, so they took them all to the guest house with them. The dogs seemed to be comforted just having someone around, so Jack went and got their bowls and moved them into the guest house for the duration. Currently Chester, Kirby and Baxter were stretched out on the floor, snoring away, while Francesca took the only chair in the room. Jack liked being around dogs, and Sam seemed to like having them around, too. She was sleeping soundly, thank goodness. Come to think of it, he thought, she hadn't had and episode for about a week now. That was encouraging.

As if she could read his thoughts, Sam stirred and opened her eyes slightly. "That's not you snoring, is it?" Her voice was low and husky with sleep.

Jack snorted. "Not me. Talk to Chester."

Sam grinned. They found themselves nearly nose to nose. Jack started to lean in, then remembered their last encounter and stopped himself. "Sorry," He mumbled, releasing her.

"Jack," Sam put a hand on his arm. "You don't have to stop. I'm sorry for the way I reacted last time."

She looked so sad that he couldn't help reaching up to cup her face with his hands. "Sam, God, don't be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry about. I'm the one who should apologize. I hope you know, I would never do anything to hurt you, and I never meant to scare you like that."

Sam reached up and put her hand around his wrist. Without a word she leaned in and kissed him. He returned the kiss as gently as possible. He felt as if she might shatter if he handled her any more firmly. Sam made a sound of frustration and pulled back. "Jack, I won't break, you know." She kissed him again, passionately, and Jack reacted in kind. He moaned at the taste of her tongue tracing his lips, and kissed her back intimately.

Just then all four dogs jumped to their feet and began to bark loudly. Sam and Jack broke apart abruptly. "Gah!" Jack sat up. "Shut up, dogs!" A beam of light flashed across the French doors heralding the arrival of a car in the drive.

"Who's that, now?" Jack asked grumpily. He got up and grabbed his shorts out from under Francesca, pulling them on and grabbing a T-shirt from the closet. He padded out the doors to find a large tow truck idling in the driveway. A big guy with long, red hair and a Fu Manchu moustache was examining the remains of the porch railing. He had on a denim shirt with the sleeves cut off, showing some very muscular arms. He wore jeans and cowboy boots, and he was scowling down at the rubble. Professional wrestler? Jack wondered.

"Can I help you with something?" Jack approached the man slowly. The man looked up and frowned a bit more. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Jack O'Neill and I live here. Well, in the guest house. Who might you be?"

"I'm Ronny Smith, and my mom's the one in the hospital." With those words he burst into tears, sobbing loudly and covering his face with an arm.

Jack was at a loss. If the guy had wanted a fight, he'd know what to do. If he'd been angry and demanded an explanation, Jack would have been right there, but tears?

Jack was immobilized where he stood, but thankfully Sam appeared at his side, the dogs trailing after her, looking at the newcomer curiously, but thankfully not barking. "Uhm, Ronny? Hi, I'm Sam. Your mom's going to be just fine. We can take you to the hospital in the morning, if you like. They have her sedated tonight. In the meantime, why don't you stay in one of the rooms in the main house for the night. We can call your uncle Abner and have him come fist thing in the morning. How does that sound?" Sam had a hand on Ronny's arm now, and the other was patting his back.

Ronny snuffled loudly and wiped his nose with his bare arm. "Mom's all I got now. Well, there's my snooty sister, Susie, but she's lives all the way up in Oregon. I have an auto body shop in Santa Barbara, not too far from here. I haven't called her in a while. Maybe if I'd looked after her better none of this woulda happened, but with my business and all, I just never seem to have the time…" He let out another wail. Jack gave Sam a panicked look.

"I know, it's hard," Sam was slowly leading him toward the main house, and exchanged a comforting look with Jack. "You go get settled and we'll take care of your truck, okay? We'll come get you first thing in the morning, I promise."

Ronny nodded sadly and disappeared into the house. Sam and Jack stood looking at each other silently for a few moments. "Phew." Jack said. "Thanks for coming to my rescue. I had no idea what to do." He went over and shut the tow truck down, turning off the engine and the lights.

Sam snorted. "I think we should call Abner even if we have to wake him up."

"You got that right," Jack said softly, then as they started to walk away, he added loudly, "Come on, dogs!"

************

As they got back into bed, there was a moment of awkwardness. Sam gave him a nervous smile, and her eyes danced away from his. "Sam," Jack took her chin in his hand. "Listen, we can take this slowly. There's no rush. Let's get a good night's sleep and we'll take Ronny to see Aggie tomorrow."

Sam let out a sigh of relief. "I don't…I mean, It's not that I don't want it…you, it's just…"

"You need a little more time?" Jack spooned up against her.

"Yeah. Something like that." She squeezed the hand he had around her.

"Absolutely not a problem. We'll go as slow or fast as you like, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks." Sam sighed and closed her eyes.

Jack looked at the ceiling and prayed for willpower.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Broken Wings, by TracyT

Part 11

See disclaimer in Part1

Feedback to: 

The next morning after breakfast, Jack let Sam have the shower first while he waited on the couch reading the village newspaper. It was a quaint little periodical with gossip, news of the town and recommendations for activities around the area.

Sam came out of the bedroom rubbing her hair with a towel. "Any breaking news? She asked.

Jack looked up with a grin on his face. "Well, I'm glad you asked. The town council meeting had quite the to-do the other night. The motion was made to put in a stop light in the middle of town and many were opposed. They cited a nearby town who did the same thing and now people drive miles out of their way just to avoid the light."

Sam laughed. "Oh, the drama."

"And it pains me to tell you, a new Mexican restaurant is going into the old 'filling station'" He made quotation marks with one hand. "At the corner of Main and Division."

Sam gave him a look. "And it's called?"

"Are you ready for this? Mex in the City."

Sam burst out laughing. "You made that up."

"No, it's right here." Jack pointed to the section.

Sam read the piece and smiled. She put the towel down and fluffed her hair. "Go take your shower. Ronny will be waiting for us."

Jack got up and put the paper down. "Okay. By the way, there's a sand sculpture competition down the beach today. Wanna check it out?"

"Sure. Sounds like fun."

**********

Ronny was indeed waiting for them, pacing back and forth on the porch. They loaded him into the back of the Jeep and made it to the hospital in record time.

Abner and family were already in the room when they got there. Aggie was awake, but looked a little out of it. Ronny reacted by wailing, "Ma!" and practically throwing himself on her, once again bursting into tears. Jack rolled his eyes and muttered, "Oy," under his breath. Sam hid a smile.

Aggie rolled her eyes, too, and patted Ronny's back as he blubbered over her. Josh and Tyler looked rather shocked by their uncle's behavior, but wisely said nothing.

When Aggie and Abner were finally able to get Ronny under control, Jack and Sam approached the bed. "Aggie. How ya doin'?" Jack asked.

"Sore, but I'll live. The doc gave me some real good pain meds. Hardly feel a thing. How are my dogs?"

"Loud. They snore so much they practically peel the wallpaper off the walls," Jack said with a grin.

Aggie cackled. "Yep, that's my babies. I could hardly sleep here last night it was so quiet."

They stayed for a few more minutes, but finally said their good-byes and made their escape, not sorry to leave Ronny in the family's care.

*******

It was a gorgeous day to wander the beach and check out the sand sculptures, and they were truly impressive. There were dragons with ten foot tails, complete with scales and ridges, Grecian temples, an old Model-T complete with turn of the century passengers in dusters and bonnets, their scarves blowing in the wind, and sand castles that a normal- sized human could live in. Jack bought Sam a blue sno-cone, got a red one for himself and they made their votes for the ones they liked best. At the end of the trail they stopped dead in their tracks. There, on the beach was a gigantic alien head, with an elaborate flying saucer crashed into the sand behind it. The title was, "What Do You mean, 'Little' Green Men?" "Guess who would love this?" Jack murmured to Sam.

They stayed long enough to see one of the dragons get first place. "Thor would be crushed," Jack observed.

Jack's knee was doing much better today, and they wandered up the beach to one of their favorite junk food restaurants. They sat on the deck eating curly fries and fish sandwiches, debating who they would have voted into first place. Squirt bottles of ketchup, mayo, ranch dressing and the house yogurt dressing sat on the table. Jack preferred ketchup on his, Sam liked the ranch.

Jack finished his fries first, and dared to grab a few of Sam's. She retaliated by squirting the back of his hand with ketchup. He grinned, licked the ketchup off his knuckles and finished his stolen fries. He liked it when she was feisty. It showed her spirit was coming back, and he welcomed it.

They finished the day by getting cups of she-crab soup and watching the sun set from the deck. Finally the headed back down the beach to the Jeep, hand in hand, and headed home.

************

The dogs were happy to see them, jumping and yipping for attention. Jack fed them and he and Sam settled in at home, sitting on the couch to watch the evening news. They were relaxed and sleepy from a day outdoors. Sam settled against Jack and soon she was asleep, breathing deeply with her head on his shoulder. Jack felt his eyes grow heavy as well, and would have dozed off, but a sudden noise from the kitchen had Sam jerking awake in a panic. Jack put his hands on her shoulders to keep her from bolting off the couch.

"Whoa. Ice maker, just the ice maker." Sam looked at him, eyes wide. He could practically feel her heart pounding in her chest, and it disturbed him to realize he'd been lulled into a false sense of security where Sam was concerned. Most of the time she was so normal he'd nearly forgotten she was still dealing with her trauma.

Sam's eyes filled with tears. Jack gathered her against him and held her silently, just letting her get herself together. He rubbed a hand up and down her back until she pulled away. She got up to get a tissue off the kitchen counter, wiping her eyes and blowing her nose.

"Okay?"

Sam nodded silently.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"No. I, uh, I think I'll head off to bed." Her voice was low and husky.

"Okay. I'll be along in a few minutes." Sam nodded and disappeared into the bedroom, the dogs trailing behind.

***************

Jack awoke with a start. A bright flash of lightning followed the clap of thunder that had startled him awake. His head dropped back onto the pillow, his heart beating strongly. Then he realized Sam was not there.

"Sam?" No answer. Jack sat up and looked around the room. "Sam?' Again, no answer, but the dogs, Francesca in particular, were very interested in the closet. Jack frowned and got up, sliding the door back to find Sam huddled on the floor, obviously scared to death and crying.

"God, Sam," Jack reached down for her, but she flinched away from him. He ignored her and pulled her to her feet, then into his arms. "What's wrong? Is it the storm?" He felt Sam nod against his shoulder. She was shaking like a leaf.

"Okay, that's it." He pulled her into the living room. He sat her on the couch, turned on every light in the place and turned the TV on, hiking up the volume. He went around closing all the curtains and blinds. He joined her on the couch again and picked up the remote. He found the midnight movie. Tonight it was "To Catch A Thief."

"Ooh, I love this one." He said to Sam. "Have you ever seen it?" She nodded slightly, obviously not interested in it right now. He pulled her against him, and settled down to watch the movie. The dogs sleepily trailed in, tired, but unwilling to let Jack and Sam out of their sight. They all settled on the floor and went back to sleep.

Jack got up and got ice cream, talking the whole time about everything, nothing. He felt like an idiot, but he was going to distract Sam if it was the last thing he did. She still had a long way to go, and he'd obviously lost sight of that fact. He wanted to kick himself.

"You know, you could have been a Hitchcock girl," Jack said casually as he settled back onto the couch and handed Sam her bowl.

"Who, me? How do you figure?" Sam took a bite of her ice cream.

"Well, you're just as beautiful as Grace Kelly, Kim Novak or Tippi Hedren. I can just see you with your hair pulled back in that twist they used to wear in the 60's, with the stiletto heels and Chanel suits. You'd fit right in."

Sam smiled and blushed a little. "Wow. Thanks." She said a little shyly.

Jack scraped his ice cream bowl and said in his best Cary Grant imitation, "What's a beautiful girl like you doing in a place like this?" Sam groaned and rolled her eyes, chuckling. At least he'd gotten that much out of her.

As the closing credits rolled, Jack realized three things. One, Sam was asleep with her head on his shoulder, two, it was nearly dawn, and three, it had stopped raining.

"Sam," he murmured. She stirred a little. "Sam, come on, it's almost morning. Let's go back to bed for a while, okay?"

"Okay," She murmured sleepily. Instead of getting up, though, she settled back against his shoulder and started to go back to sleep.

"Ah. No you don't. As much as I hate to wake you up, we're gonna be a lot more comfortable in bed. We can even sleep in this morning. Come on." He put an arm around her and helped her up. As he led her toward the bedroom, with her still leaning against him heavily, he turned his head and said in a stage whisper, "Come on, dogs."

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Broken Wings, by TracyT

Part12

See disclaimer in Part 1

Feedback to: 

Although it had been nearly 4:00 when they finally went back to bed, Jack woke up around 6:00. Sam was sleeping soundly next to him, her chin tucked into his neck. The storm had passed, and the only sound he heard was the continual pounding of the surf from the beach and the whirring of the ceiling fan. He listened for a moment trying to identify what had awakened him. He heard a car engine idling, then the slamming of a car door. Ronny. Apparently he'd spent the night in the hospital, and was returning home. This was confirmed by the familiar squeaking of the screen door to the main house followed by the bang when it closed behind him.

The dogs sat up and listened, but settled back down again almost immediately, apparently deciding their watch-dog services weren't needed at the moment.

Sam murmured something in her sleep and moved in a little more against him. Jack tightened the arm he had around her, resting his chin on the top of her head, and sighed. This was getting complicated. He would never regret finding Sam and helping her. He would have let no one else do that and as always, he would not leave one of his team behind, Sam in particular. However, something else had happened during his time here.

He loved her, he'd always loved her, but now he was finding that feeling multiplying by the day. He had to keep reminding himself that this was about Sam, not him. He had fallen in love with the life they had here. He loved that it was mostly just the two of them, Jack and Sam, not Colonel and Major. It was a good life, and he didn't want this to end. He just wanted to stay in their little seaside bubble and shut out the rest of the world.

He knew that once they returned to the SGC, to their lives there, the barriers that had kept them apart before would return and their happy existence would end.

He wanted her, wanted her so much it hurt. Right now he wanted to just roll her beneath him and make love to her, bury himself inside her think of nothing but how her body felt under him as he pounded into her. He drew in a sharp sigh and ran a hand over his face. Geez, was he any better than Ba'al?

He turned to look at Sam, watching her sleep. He gently ran his fingers through her hair. It had grown almost to her shoulders now, and he loved it. She was so beautiful, especially in the early light of day. He continued to gently comb his fingers through her hair, loving the peaceful look on her face as she slept.

He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't realize she was stirring until she murmured softly, "Mmm, feels good."

Jack withdrew his hand and pulled her against him. "Sam," His voice was soft. "Go back to sleep, I didn't mean to wake you." He kissed her forehead and Sam settled against him, one hand on his chest. In a few moments her breathing had returned to that deep, even breathing that signaled she'd gone to sleep again.

Jack sighed loudly. How was he going to go back to his old life when this one ended?

****************

Jack opened his eyes sometime later, surprised that he'd managed to go back to sleep. He'd been so tangled up in his thoughts he didn't think he'd be able to quiet his mind long enough to sleep again, but he had. He rolled over and looked at the clock. It was 9:30. He couldn't remember the last time he'd stayed in bed this late. He yawned, then he realized something. Sam was gone.

He sat up and threw back the sheet. "Sam?" No answer. The dogs were gone, too. He went into the living room. Empty. "Sam?" He peeked out the French doors to see if she was out tinkering with the motorcycle. Not there. A sudden sense of panic hit him as he remembered the state she'd been in last night.

He ran into the bedroom and threw on some clothes, then dashed out the door to the driveway, ignoring the twinge in his knee, looking around for any sign of her. He looked down to the beach, but it was deserted.

"'Whoa dude, where's the fire?." He turned to find Ronny standing on the porch with a glass of orange juice in his hand. The dogs were with him, milling around sniffing things or settled on the drive.

Ronny grinned and raised his juice glass in greeting. "Mornin'."

"Ronny." He hurried over to stand at the foot of the porch stairs. "Have you seen Sam anywhere?"

"Uh, yeah. She was out here earlier putting her shoes on. She asked if I'd watch the dogs while she went running."

"Running?" Jack was confused.

"Yeah, she was doing all those stretches and things you do before you jog. She took off down the road about fifteen minutes ago." He pointed toward the road with his glass.

Running? Jack found himself breathing a sigh of relief. She'd gone running. Okay. Good. She'd almost give him a heart attack, but if she wanted to go running, fine. That was a good thing.

"Oh. Okay, thanks." Jack turned to go back to inside, but Ronny stopped him with his next words.

"I gotta head back to Santa Barbara today. Gotta get back to the shop. Sam and I talked about the Indian. She's done a great job on it. Couldn't have done better myself. I told her when she's finished with the engine, she should give me a call and I'll come get it and do the body work. We'll have dad's old chopper in running condition in no time."

"Yeah," Jack said weakly, still feeling the loss of adrenaline. "Great. You do that." He wandered back to the guest house with Francesca trailing behind. Apparently she thought breakfast was coming soon, and she didn't want to miss out on the handouts.

Jack took his shower and shaved. He got dressed and padded out to the kitchen in his bare feet to get something to eat. A bowl with a few Cheerios was in the sink, so he rinsed it out and put it in the drainer before putting a bagel in the toaster oven.

He was sitting at the bar drinking his coffee, reading the Santa Barbara paper and feeding Francesca bits of bagel when Sam returned. She gave him a big smile, her face flushed and her eyes bright. "Hey, sleepyhead. When I left you were dead to the world, so I didn't want to bother you." She went to the fridge and poured herself a glass of orange juice.

"Thanks, but I'd rather you woke me than give me a coronary."

Sam looked confused. "What?"

"I didn't know what to think when I found you gone this morning, I nearly stroked out trying to find you. Ronny told me you'd gone running."

Sam frowned. "But, I left you a note. Didn't you see it?"

"Note? There was a note?"

"Yeah, right on my pillow. I thought sure you'd find it there."

"I, uh, I didn't even look," Jack admitted sheepishly.

Sam exhaled slowly. She put her juice glass down, went in the bedroom and came back with the note. She unfolded it and read: "Dear Jack. I felt so much better this morning, thanks to you," She looked up and Jack managed a crooked smile and a shrug. "That I decided I would try to start running again today. Will be back in a while. Love, Sam."

After an uncomfortable moment Jack said, "So." He cleared his throat loudly. "How was the run?"

Sam gave him a look but finally said, "Good, but I can't go nearly as far as I used to." Sam sat on the couch and began to unlace her shoes. "I'm pretty out of shape. I'll work up to it in time, I guess."

"It's a step in the right direction, though. No pun intended."

Sam grinned. "Gotta take my life back, right?"

Jack returned her smile. "You got it. Go take your shower and we'll decide what's on the agenda today, okay?

**********

While Sam was in the shower, Jack made the bed and tidied up the room. He opened the nightstand drawer to get his watch and found Sam's notebook. It was the one he'd given her to put down her blessings and accomplishments. Without even thinking he took it out and opened it. True to her word, every page was filled in and dated from the day he'd given her the book. Then, as he thumbed through the pages, something struck him. On every page set aside for blessings, the first thing listed was "Jack." Every single day. Oh, she'd also been grateful for the Indian, the dogs, Aggie, the plants she'd finally bought and were trying to grow, the cinnamon rolls at Leo's, etc, but "Jack" was the first thing on every page.

Jack sat on the bed with the book and just stared at it. He found himself to be more moved than he would have thought. He cleared his throat to clear away the lump that had suddenly materialized there, and ran a hand over his face.

Something alerted him to Sam's presence. She was standing in the bathroom door wearing her terry-cloth robe, her hair wrapped in a towel. She was just quietly watching him.

Jack shot up from the bed, closing the book quickly and putting it down on the bed. "Sam, sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to snoop. This is not my business."

"No, it's fine. Really. I'm glad you got me to do that. Put down my blessings and accomplishments, that is. I think it's really helped me a lot. I don't mind if you want to look at it."

"Still, I feel like I'm reading your diary or something."

"Really, it's fine." She came over and held out her hand, and Jack handed her the book. She put it back in the nightstand.

"I, uh, I couldn't help but notice…" Jack scratched his ear a little nervously

"What or whom was first on my list each day?" Sam grinned at him. "It's true you know. Whatever progress I've made is all thanks to you."

"Carter, don't underestimate yourself, you pulled yourself back, I just helped out a little."

Sam put a hand on his arm. "No. If it hadn't been for you…"

"Sam," he said more loudly and sharply than he intended. "Don't even say it, okay?"

"But it's true."

They looked into each other's eyes silently until Jack realized he was leaning in toward her. He pulled back abruptly, turning away with a cough, and putting some distance between them.

Sam gathered herself together first. "So," She turned to him. "What's on the agenda today?"

Jack was incredibly grateful for the change of subject. "Well, there's a craft show/swap meet thingy today down by the pier. Wanna check it out?"

"Sure, just let me get dressed."

************

The pier was packed. The air practically buzzed with the hum of activity. Along with the craft show/swap meet, there was a small carnival going on, and the body builders and sun worshippers were present en masse.

The aroma of cooking food from vendors and nearby restaurants mingled with the smell of suntan lotion and sea air. Jack stopped to get some cotton candy for he and Sam to share, while Sam wandered off a little way to examine the goods for sale. Jack was just putting his change away before taking the cone of cotton candy from its holder on the stand, when Sam came back carrying a plastic bag, a wry smile on her face.

"You bought something already?" Jack's eyebrows rose. "What did you get?"

Sam shook her head. "Not tellin'. You'll see when we get home."

Jack squinted at her. "What's the big surprise?"

Sam wrinkled her nose at him. "You just have to wait."

"Oookay."

They wandered past all the displays of paintings and pottery and jewelry. Jack was paying more attention to Sam than the junk for sale. She looked so relaxed and happy today. It did his heart good.

Sam stopped him suddenly with a hand on his arm. "Jack, look." In front of them was a painting from the vantage point of the beach looking up at Aggie's house. It was painted when storm clouds were rolling in, with a beam of sun hitting the ocean. "The artist even included the guest house," Sam exclaimed.

"Oh, we gotta have that," Jack said. He introduced himself to the artist, a man in a tie-dyed T-shirt who looked a lot like Michael, the young man they'd met in 1969. This man's name was Tony, and he made Jack a good deal on the painting after Jack explained that they lived in the guest house.

After their purchase they stopped by the local hamburger/ice cream stand and got lunch, then took their wares home. Sam decided that the painting should go over the couch, and Jack stood precariously on the cushions and tried to keep his balance while pounding the nail in. When he was done they stood back to admire their new acquisition. Without thinking, Jack put an arm around Sam and she did the same.

"Does it look centered?" Jack squinted at it, trying to decide.

Sam turned her head one way and then the other. "Yep. Looks perfect to me."

Jack grinned at her. "Good. Perfect is good. So…what did you buy?"

"Oh! I almost forgot." Sam went to the kitchen and got the bag off the counter. "I saw this and just knew we had to have it for our kitchen. I just hope it works." She pulled a round, flat object out of the bag, and turned it for Jack to see. "Voila!"

It was a kitchen clock with the Muppets Swedish Chef on it. The hands were wooden spoons. Jack's mouth dropped open. "Wow! That is way cool." He took it from her. "And since I just happen to have my nails and hammer, let's get it hung, too." He said with his best Swedish accent.

They put it in a place of honor right above the breakfast bar, and were happy to see that it actually worked.

"So, chef," Sam leaned back against the counter. "What's for supper?"

Jack thought. "Well, I don't have much here. I can run to the grocery store and get something for us, or…"

"Or?"

"We could order Chinese take-out from Fu Yung's. They deliver."

"Okay, let's do that."

They ordered their take out and ate it on the porch. The dogs appeared as if by magic, wanting hand-outs, so they shared with them, then Jack got the huge bag of dog food and poured some into their bowls and got them fresh water.

"Have you talked to Abner? When's Aggie going to be able to come home?" Sam said around a forkful of food.

"Yeah, he said they should release her day after tomorrow. She's doing pretty good."

"We should go see her." We haven't been since her first day there."

"How about tomorrow? I don't think we have any plans, do we?"

"I just planned on tinkering with the Indian. I can do that anytime."

"Okay. While you're tinkering with the Indian, as you say," Jack gave her a wry grin. "I think I'll try my hand at repairing the railing and some of the rotten boards in the porch."

"Oh, Jack, is your knee up to that?" Sam her glass down, with a frown on her face.

"I'm not going to be using my knee to hammer, but yes, it's doing a lot better." When Sam continued to look unconvinced, Jack added, "What say we go for a walk on the beach before bed? The dogs would like it, and I can prove my knee is in fighting form."

Sam smiled. "Okay, you're on."

**********

They walked down the beach in the direction that led away from town, the dogs trailing behind, happy to be included. As they walked near the water's edge, dodging the incoming waves, Jack slipped an arm around Sam, and she did the same for him with a grin.

Soon the sky was ablaze with sunset of oranges, yellows, blues and purples. They found a vacant lifeguard tower and climbed up onto it to sit and watch the sun go down.

Jack leaned in toward Sam just as the sun was about to touch the horizon. "I hear if you listen close enough you can hear the hiss when the sun touches the water," he whispered.

"Actually Sir…" Sam turned to look at him, ready to correct him, then stopped herself. "Uh, okay, I'll listen very carefully." They grinned at each other and watched the sun sink into ocean.

Jack got up and brushed off his pants. "Okay, show's over. Let's walk down to that cliff over there, then we can head back, okay?"

The dogs jumped up from their reclining positions on the sand and followed after them. Once again, they walked with arms around each other. Jack wanted to turn to Sam and tell her how nice this was, but he thought it might sound a little cheesy, so just smiled at her and walked on.

The sound of music reached their ears, and they could see Tiki torches burning near a large building with a grass roof. It was some kind of restaurant or night club. People were dancing inside or lounging on the large wrap-around deck on the outside.

John Mayer's "Gravity" was playing. Without a thought, Jack turned and took Sam in his arms swaying to the music. She looked a little surprised and then she nestled against him, clearly liking the idea. They danced on the sand until the song ended. Sam raised her head and looked up at him, and without thought they were kissing. Jack cupped the back of Sam's head and tilted his head to the side to kiss her more thoroughly. She responded in kind He loved the taste and feel of her, couldn't get enough of her, lost in the moment, until he finally forced himself to pull back.

They were both breathing heavily, staring at each other in a sort of shock. Sam uttered a breathy, "Jack," then leaned in to kiss him again, but he stopped her by putting his hands on her shoulders and holding her away from him.

"Sam. What are we doing, here?"

Sam touched him face. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting my life back. Take me home, okay?

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Broken Wings, by TracyT

Part 13

See disclaimer in Part 1

Feedback to: 

They stumbled through the door, kissing, nearly tripping over Francesca, who thought she should always be first. Jack started to kick the door shut, then stopped. He broke away from Sam, and said, "Shoo dogs." He herded them out the door and shut it, catching Sam's grin as all four looked in the door with sad, reproachful looks.

"Aw, look at them, they look so sad," Sam said as she took Jack back into her arms.

Jack kissed her quickly. "Let them get their own dates. We need some privacy."

Sam smiled and kissed him. They pulled at each other's clothing, working their way back to the bedroom, tripping over shoes and discarded clothing the whole way. They finally fell onto the bed with a 'woof." Jack kissed his way down Sam's throat, and down into the cleavage of her bra, which was all she wore.

Jack forced himself to pull back. His breathing was heavy. "Sam, are you sure about this? Really sure?" It would kill him to stop now, but if she didn't want this, he wouldn't force her.

Sam stroked his cheek with the back of her fingers. "I'm sure." Jack nodded and leaned in to kiss her deeply.

Sam ran her hands down his back and moaned a little. Jack sat up and removed the rest of his clothing, and joined Sam back on the bed.

He kissed his way down her stomach and Sam grasped handfuls of his hair and murmured, "Jack." He continued down until he met the waistband of her panties. He sat up and his eyes met hers as he slid her undergarment down her legs and off. She watched him without blinking. She was breathing a little heavily, and as he opened her to him she gasped. He leaned down and began to make love to her with his mouth, licking, kissing, sucking every place he could reach. Sam called out and grasped his head between her hands. He found the little bundle of nerves at her center and ran his tongue up and down it. Sam was making the most wonderful sounds, and as he entered her with one finger, then two, she began to move against him.

It wasn't long before her breathing changed and her movements became more erratic. Jack continued thrusting into her, while sucking and licking her clit until she came apart with a scream.

While she was still in the throes of her climax, Jack moved up her body and started to position himself at her opening. He thrust into her, but suddenly sensed a change in Sam. He managed to clear his vision long enough to realize she was getting that panicky look in her eyes again. She was trying her hardest to hide it, but he knew the signs.

Jack put his arms around her and rolled them both so Sam was on top. "Jack," she sounded a little alarmed, putting her hands on his chest to steady herself.

"You're in charge, Sam. We don't do anything you don't want to do." She looked at him silently for a moment, then she began to move herself on him. Up and down, all the way to the top and back down again. Jack had to grit his teeth to keep from rolling her back down and pounding into her. He reached up and cupped her beautiful breasts, squeezing them gently, rolling the nipples between his fingers. Sam moaned and bit her lip. It was sweet torture, but Sam looked magnificent, lost in passion, moving more urgently against him now, moaning low in her throat. Jack thrust up into her and soon they both went over the edge.

Sam collapsed on his chest, breathing heavily. She lay quietly for a moment, then slid herself off of him, and lay on her back on the bed.

"Wow."

Jack grinned. "Yeah. Wow."

Sam turned to curl against him. "I love you, Jack." She kissed his chest.

Jack kissed top of her head. "I love you, too." He hoped what she was feeling wasn't just gratitude for all he'd done for her. He loved her more than anyone he'd ever known, and although he'd never intended it, he couldn't regret this had happened.

**********

They made love again twice that night, then fell into a sound sleep. Only the sound of the dogs whimpering and scratching at the door in the morning, wanting their breakfast, woke them.

They grinned at each other. Sam started to get up, but Jack put a restraining hand on her arm. "I've got it. You go back to sleep."

Sam made way for him to get out of bed, and watched him put on a pair of shorts. Jack stopped and looked at her. Her hair was mussed from his hands and her lips were swollen from his kisses. She had nothing on but the sheet over her and her eyes were bright and happy this morning. Jack couldn't help it, he went over to the bed, dropped down and kissed her breathless. Things might have continued from there, but the dogs started barking, clearly not wanting to wait a moment longer.

"All right, all right, I'm coming!" Jack yelled over his shoulder. Sam giggled and he grinned at her and gave her a peck on the mouth. "Don't move. I'll be right back."

"Yes, sir," Sam said in a husky voice.

Jack got the dogs all fed and watered, and hurried back to the bedroom, only to find Sam had gone to take her shower. He felt a little disappointed until inspiration struck. He went into the steamy bathroom, took off his clothes and opened the door to the shower stall. Sam let out a little squeak and jumped. "Want some company?" Jack asked

Sam smiled and held her arms out to him.

******

Much, much later, they drove into town and got celebratory cinnamon rolls at Leo's, then went to the hospital to visit Aggie. She was alone this time, no family gathered around the bed, and was happy to see them.

"Hey, you two. How are my babies?"

Jack grinned. "Good to see you, too, Aggie. Nice to know you care more about the dogs than you do us."

Aggie chuckled. "Well, from what I can see you two are just fine. Better than fine, even. Something you want to tell me?" She crossed her arms and looked at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing that's any of your business, and for your information, the dogs are just fine." Aggie cackled happily at that, then turned serious. "Listen, Jack, do something for me, okay?"

"Okay. What?"

"Can you smuggle a cigarette in for me? I'm dyin' here."

"Aggie…"

"No one would ever know, I swear. I can be real discreet."

"Aggie, no. No way. Abner would have my hide. Besides you go home tomorrow."

"I won't make it that long. It's been too long as it is."

"You'll live."

"Hmmph. Some friends you are."

"We brought you some flowers, though." Sam pointed out the carnations they'd brought. Don't they look pretty?"

Aggie didn't look convinced. "No good to me if I can't smoke 'em." She crossed her arms mulishly.

"Okay, then. Good to see you, Aggie." Jack put an arm around Sam and led her out of the room.

"Well, that went well." Sam murmured with a grin.

"Geesh. Tough room."

*****

On the way back Jack just had to stop at the new ice-cream place called "What's the Scoop?" to get ice-cream cones. As they stood looking at the huge array of flavors offered, Jack said, "Let me guess, mint chocolate-chip, right?"

Sam's mouth dropped open. "Yeah, my favorite. How did you know?"

Putting an arm around her Jack murmured conspiratorially, "You just seem like a mint chocolate-chip kinda girl to me."

Sam bumped him with her hip. "And what are you going to get?"

"I think I'll get the Moose Tracks. It's got peanut-butter cups in it."

They wandered down the street with their cones looking at all the different shops. Jack took a lick of his ice-cream. "Why do they call it Moose Tracks?" Sam asked.

Jack grinned. "Think about it. The vanilla ice cream is the snow and the peanut butter cups…"

When Sam continued to look perplexed, he said: "If it was chocolate chips instead of peanut butter cups it would be called Rabbit Tracks."

"Oh." Sam wrinkled her nose. "Eww."

Jack chuckled and held the cone up to her mouth. "Wanna try some?"

Sam tried to push it away. "No, thank you. Not now."

Jack kept trying to get her to taste it, Sam giggling, until he finally tapped her nose with it, leaving a dab of ice cream. "Oh, thanks." Sam started to reach for her nose, but Jack stopped her.

"Here, let me fix that," Jack took her arm and licked the ice cream from her nose.

They continued down the street, chatting and laughing happily like kids. Neither saw the car following them at a slow pace, the driver looking decidedly unhappy.


	14. Chapter 14

Broken Wings, by TracyT

Part 14

See disclaimer in part 1

Feedback to: 

The next morning Sam awoke to the sound of hammering and a pair of brown eyes looking into hers--and they weren't Jack's. Sam turned her head and rubbed a hand across her face. "You know, Francesca, Jack is not going to be happy you're hogging his pillow," Sam commented softly. Francesca, glad to see Sam was awake, jumped down and headed for the kitchen, looking back over her shoulder to see if Sam was following.

Sam heaved herself up and put on her robe. "Didn't he feed you breakfast before he went out?" she asked. The other dogs answered that for her. They all jumped to their feet when they saw her and headed for their bowls.

Sam fed and watered the group, then peeked out the French doors to see what Jack was doing. She saw the Jeep in the drive with a load of lumber hanging out the back, and Jack, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and his boots, hammering new planks onto the collapsed porch. She admired the look of the sunshine reflected on his very tan back before heading outside.

"You've been busy this morning," Sam commented as she approached him, wrapping her robe more tightly around her. Jack turned and grinned around the two nails he had in his mouth.

"Wanted to get a start on fixing this before Aggie gets home, but seeing you in that robe gives me other ideas. I could be convinced to come back to bed for a while, if you want." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

Sam grinned, doing a little replay of their lovemaking the night before in her head and sighing happily. "Well, as nice as the view is from my standpoint, and as tempting as that sounds, I have to admit I was just headed for the shower. Want me to make us a couple of bagels when I get out, or did you have breakfast already?"

"Nope. Sounds good." Jack took the nails out of his mouth long enough to give her a peck on the mouth, before getting back to work.

Sam headed back to the house feeling incredibly happy. They were a couple now. She still couldn't get over that. She had never felt so content or happy. The only thing that marred her happiness was the thought of what would happen when he had to leave here and go back to the SGC, while she stayed behind. She stopped to look back at Jack, the smile now gone from her face, and then headed inside.

************

When Sam got out of the shower, she popped a couple of bagels into the toaster oven, then took another look out the window at Jack. The dogs were now scattered around the driveway, supervising or snoozing in the sun, and Jack had made considerable headway on the porch floor.

She put on a pair of cut-off shorts and her Harley tank top, running her fingers through her hair and deciding to let it dry on its own. The toaster dinged, and she slid her feet into flip-flops and hurried back to the kitchen. She slathered the bagels with cream cheese, put them on paper plates, and started to take them out to Jack with plastic glasses of orange juice to go along with it. On second thought she stopped and added a couple bottles of water for Jack to drink while he worked, and headed out.

Again, Jack turned as she approached. "Hey, this is service." He stopped what he was doing to help her put the plates down on the porch steps, then took a bottle of water and drank the whole thing in about three gulps. He ran a hand across his face when he was finished. "Thanks, I needed that."

"Wow, I'll bring more out later. I just brought the two bottles this time."

Jack squinted into the sun. "It gets warm out here when you're working. But I'm hungry, too. Let's eat."

They sat on the steps, munching their bagels, and throwing bits to the dogs, whose complete attention was theirs. "So," Jack said around a mouthful. "What are you going to do today?"

"I'm going to work on the Indian. It shouldn't be too long before Ronny can take it and repaint it."

Jack looked over at the bike. "It looks really great. You should be proud of the work you've done. I didn't think it could be restored."

Sam smiled. "Ah, ye of little faith. It just needed some TLC--and about $300 worth of parts. How long do you think it will be before you get the porch fixed?"

Jack turned speculative eye toward the porch and sighed. "Not sure. There's a lot of rotten wood here. It wasn't properly treated before it was installed and it's in pretty bad shape. I bought treated lumber this time and I'm going to stain it with some weather-proof stuff that should preserve it better. At least Aggie won't have to worry about falling through the boards anymore."

"You sound like a real expert there. I had no idea you knew so much about carpentry."

Jack grinned. "Didn't I tell you? I built the extension on to my cabin in Minnesota. After Charlie died, after the first Abydos mission, it was both something to keep my mind off things and therapy at the same time. It took several months to complete, but I learned a thing or two while I was doing it."

Sam's smile faded. She was surprised at how matter-of-fact he sounded. "I didn't know that. That's impressive, really." She said softly.

They exchanged a silent look for a moment before Jack put his plate down and gave the back of her hand a pat. "Well, gotta get back to work. Maybe later we can go into town and grab some lunch. Sound good?"

Sam stood and gathered up plates and cups. "Sounds great. Let me know when you want to take a break, okay?"

"You got it."

*************

A long time later Sam was engrossed in the workings of the Indian's carburetor, oblivious to her surroundings or the time, when a shadow fell across her. She looked up to find a very sweaty Jack standing over her, and realized the hammering had stopped.

"I'm going to head for the shower. Ready for lunch when I get out?"

Sam looked at her watch and blinked, surprised at how late it was. "Yeah, I'll get cleaned up, too and we can head into town.

"We can shower together. That would save time AND water," Jack suggested with a leer.

Sam snorted. "Now, you know if we do that, we'll never get into town. At least not this afternoon."

Jack sighed heavily. "Okay, I guess you're right. I'll go take my shower ALONE," he said sadly.

Sam chuckled. "Poor baby. I'll make it up to you tonight, okay?"

Jack suddenly looked eager. "Yeah?"

Sam looked up at him and had to squint into the sun. "Cross my heart."

"Ooh. Deal." Jack headed into the house.

**************

A while later, Sam emerged from the shower, pulled on her robe and toweled her hair dry. She tossed the towel on the bed and went into the living room to find Jack watching NASCAR and reading the town paper. She plopped herself on the couch next to him and put an arm across the back.

"So, what's news?" Sam asked.

"Well, the much debated issue of the stop light rages on, and Division street will be closed for the next two weeks for repairs. Other than that, all seems to be well."

Sam grinned. "Good to know."

"Hey, there's going to be a movie shown on the beach tonight. Wanna go? We take lawn chairs or blankets and sit on the beach to watch."

"Sounds like fun. What's the movie?"

"'Star Wars'. I guess I should finally see it, right?"

Sam shook her head. "I can't believe you've never seen 'Star Wars.' You'll like it."

Jack looked skeptical. "You think? Well, if I don't we can always make out on the beach, right?"

Sam snorted. "You have a one-track mind." When Jack started to reply she stopped him by saying, "I like that about you." Jack grinned.

"Next week is 'Young Frankenstein.' Can't miss that."

"Now, there's one movie I've never seen."

Jack gaped. "You've never seen 'Young Frankenstein?'"

"Nope."

"But, you MUST see it! It's required."

Sam smiled doubtfully. "Who told you that?"

Jack turned a page on the paper and said cryptically, "I dunno. Abby, somebody."

*********

A short while later they headed into town and stopped at a hot dog stand called "Franks for the Memories." They both got Chicago Style dogs, which meant everything but the kitchen sink was put on them, added orders of fries to the mix and took their food to a nearby table with a yellow umbrella over it advertising "Vienna Beef Hot Dogs."

"Have you ever been to Chicago?" Jack asked as he took a bite of his dog.

"A few times. On Air Force business, mostly. Why?"

"If we ever go back we'll have to stop at Maxwell Street and get Polish Sausages at Jim's Original. They're the best. Just grilled onions and mustard. Peppers if you want them."

Sam was silent for a moment., reveling in the "we" in his statement. "Sounds like fun. We'll have to do that."

After lunch they stopped at the market for some groceries, loading them into the back of the Jeep. "I want to stop at Emilio's vegetable stand on the way back for the salad stuff." Jack said. "I saw a sign they have fresh tomatoes now."

Sam waited in the Jeep as Jack got out and greeted Emilio and Estella. Miguel was in his stroller, playing with an apparatus that was suctioned onto the tray in front of him, but waved chubby little arms Jack's way with a grin when Jack leaned down to speak to him. Emilio and Estella waved at Sam, who waved back with a smile. Then she noticed something. Jack was speaking in rapid-fire Spanish to the couple, who were responding in kind. They discussed the merits of the tomatoes and other vegetables, and finally Jack returned to the Jeep with a wave to the couple, and a shouted comment in Spanish. Emilio and Estella laughed and waved back.

As Jack put the bags in the back with the other groceries, Sam turned back toward him to say, "Uhhm. I'm gonna tell Daniel."

Jack stopped. "Tell Daniel what?" But his comment was just a little too innocent.

"You never said you spoke fluent Spanish."

Jack got in behind the wheel and started the Jeep. "Well, I wouldn't call if fluent, but I get by. Just one of those things you pick up along the way, I guess."

"You just picked that up along the way?"

"Sure. How do you think I got along in South America a couple years ago when I went to save Danny's butt?"

"There's more to you than meets, the eye, Jack O'Neill."

Jack gave her a smug grin. "Yes, ma'am."

************

Later that night they headed down to the beach to watch the movie. A large screen had been erected on the back of a truck, and already several people were gathered around, having picnics and waiting for the film to start. Children and dogs wound through the crowd playing and laughing(or wagging), and there was a general air of festiveness and activity. Vendors walked along selling cotton candy, popcorn and drinks. And a few stands had been set up at the back of the crowd selling more substantial food.

Jack had brought a low beach chair and a blanket with them, along with a large bag of popcorn and some sodas. He spread out the blanket and put up the one chair. Sam gave him a look.

"You only brought one chair?"

"Yep. The idea is, the chair is my back support, I'm yours. Get it?"

Sam settled down on the blanket between Jack's legs and leaned back against him. "Hey, great idea."

"I do have them occasionally." Sam grinned.

Soon the movie started. There was a couple cartoons first for the kids, then the main attraction began. At first Sam heard what she expected from Jack. Occasionally he'd say, "Please," or scoff at something. Nothing was worse than bringing an expert on something to a movie about that subject. Later, she noticed he'd grown quiet, and was really paying attention to the movie, while he munched his popcorn. He even chuckled at some of the funny moments.

Later, when the movie was over, they gathered up their things and headed up the beach for home. "So," Sam said. "Pretty good, eh?"

"Yeah. I can see what Teal'c sees in it. That Han Solo guy was pretty cool."

Sam took his hand. "So, this was fun. We'll have to catch 'Young Frankenstein' next week. I promise to keep as open a mind as you had for this."

Jack squeezed her hand. "It's a date."

**********

The next day Aggie came home. Abner's SUV pulled into the drive, followed by Ronny's tow truck. Aggie had to have help getting out of the car, and Jack was there first, putting aside his hammer to assist her. "Thank you, kind sir," Aggie gave him a smile, then she looked at the porch. "Jack, you didn't have to do this. It's great of you, but really…"

Jack took Aggie's bag in one hand, while he kept hold of her good arm with the other. "It's nothing. Happy to do it. Besides, you won't take rent from us, at least not much, and we're living on your property. It's the least I could do."

Ronny came around his truck. "Hey," he nodded. Jack nodded back, hoping there wouldn't be another emotional outburst, but Ronny seemed cool, calm and collected.

They got her settled in the house, then Jack left Ronny and Abner to take care of her. On the way out he said, "Will the hammering bother you, Aggie?"

"Nah. These pain pills they gave me would let me sleep through a war." She held up the bottle and rattled the pills inside. Jack grinned and closed the door.

***************

Sam was inside reading one of her science periodicals and drinking a glass of lemonade. The door opened and Jack peeked around it. "Hey, Sam, come look at this."

Sam got up and went outside to find Jack securing the end of a hammock to the porch rail. The other end had been secured to a beam he'd planted in the soil.

"Wow. Where did you find that?"

"In Aggie's shed. I swear, anything you can imagine is in that shed. Look what else I found. He indicated the gas grill that stood on the drive. "We can cook out, now." He beamed. Sam figured it was a guy thing, and just nodded with a smile.

"Despite what Aggie said, I didn't want to be hammering on the porch while she's trying to sleep, so I snooped. I also found a glider with a canopy that was in good shape. I put it on the drive at the bottom of the porch steps, so Aggie has doesn't have to lean on the porch railing when she comes out to smoke." Sam looked up to see the forest green glider sitting on the drive. "That was very thoughtful of you, Jack. I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

Just then Abner came out and waved at them. "Hey, you two. Ronny and I are going to get pizza and beer tonight for Aggie's homecoming. She gets to drink soda. A little impromptu party. You're invited.

"Hey, thanks, Abner," Jack said. "Aggie's okay with no beer?"

Abner waved a dismissive hand. "As long as she gets to smoke, she doesn't care about anything else. See you at eight?"

"See you then."

*********

Jack arranged to take the salad for the party, and put it in a large Tupperware bowl with a lid. They put several kinds of dressing in a bag, and headed up to the main house. Ronny was on the drive smoking a cigarette. When he saw them he lifted his chin in recognition as he blew out a long plume of smoke. He dropped the butt on the drive and crushed it with his boot. "Hey, you two. We're down the basement. Come on in."

He led them inside and through the kitchen to the basement stairs. The basement was finished with a stained concrete floor, paneling and a large pool table in the middle. All the food had been set up on a large folding table against the wall, and Jack put the salad fixings on the table along with the rest.

Aggie was ensconced in an old tan recliner, reclined with her feet raised in pink terry cloth slippers and matching robe. She had the habitual cigarette in her hand and saluted them with it. "Jack, Sam! Glad you could come to my 'coming out party.'"

"Wouldn't have missed it for the world, Aggie," Jack gave Aggie a wink.

**********

After their supper of pizza, salad and the chocolate chip cookies Ronny had made, Abner said, "Anyone want to play pool with me?"

Sam said casually, "I wouldn't mind playing, but it's been a while."

"Don't do it, Abner!" Jack said, "She's a pool shark. She'll take you for all you're worth! We used to take her to O'Malley's in Colorado Springs just so she could scam food and beer money for us." Sam slapped Jack's arm playfully and Aggie cackled.

"You go for it Sam. Abner thinks he's the hot shot at pool."

They played four games, and Sam won three. As they helped clear up after the party, Jack leaned against Sam and murmured quietly, "You let him win that last game, didn't you?"

Sam looked up at him with large, innocent eyes. "Would I do a thing like that?" Jack snorted and hauled the trash bag toward the stairs.

******

The next day Jack hammered boards onto the porch, while Aggie sat in the glider, rocking slowly and blissfully smoking a cigarette. She'd dressed today, with Sam's help, and wore a white sleeveless top and black shorts, her feet in slip on loafers.

Jack stopped working when he heard Aggie cry out in pain. Her pack of cigarettes had slid away from her and in trying to lean over and get them back, she'd pulled her injured shoulder. As Jack reached for them she hissed in pain. "Let me get those." He retrieved the pack from the corner of the glider and handed them to her.

"Thanks, Jack. This danged old shoulder just won't let me reach too far. She shook one out of the pack and leaned it toward Jack. "Want one?"

Jack paused. It had been a long time since he'd quit. "No. I, uh, don't do that anymore."

"Sissy. One's not going to kill you." She held the pack out temptingly. When Jack hesitated she said, "Come on, join me. I don't want to smoke alone." This had never stopped her before, but Jack found himself reaching for the pack anyway. "Well, one won't hurt, will it?"

"No, of course not." Aggie lit hers and as Jack joined her on the glider, she handed him the lighter. Jack lit his and took a drag, drawing the smoke into his lungs. He hummed in his throat and blew out the smoke. "It's been a long time."

Aggie chuckled. "But you never forget, right?"

Jack looked at the lit end of his cigarette. "Nope."

They smoked in silence for while, then Jack asked, "So is Aggie short for Agatha?"

Aggie winced. "Don't ever call me that. I always hated that name. I can't even rely on my middle name. It's Gertrude."

Jack cleared his throat. "Agatha Gertrude? That's…unusual."

"Hell, it's child abuse. Named after my two grandmothers. They couldn't have been named Helen or Elizabeth or Mary. Nooooo. Abner's got it just as bad. He's named after the grandfathers, Abner Marion."

Jack shook his head. "Geez."

"You got that right." Aggie took another drag and blew out the smoke.

Jack turned his head as Sam came out of the guest house with the watering can, and took to watering her pot garden. He watched her long, tan legs moving back and forth in her khaki shorts, watched the strap of her yellow tank top slide down her arm, only to be pushed hastily back up by its owner. She raised her head and saw them watching and raised a hand in greeting. Jack raised his hand back, and smiled blissfully.

Aggie chuckled. "Jesus, O'Neill, you've got it bad, don't ya?"

Jack continued to smile. "Yes ma'am, I do." He noticed Sam look at him again speculatively, then she started toward them with a determined look.

"Uh oh." Jack stood and hastily put the cigarette behind his back.

Aggie howled. "You're in for it now, Jack."

"Jack O'Neill, what is that in your hand?" Sam demanded.

"Uh," Jack cleared his throat. "Nothing."

"Are you on fire, then? 'Cause you have smoke coming from behind you." Sam was smirking now.

Jack brought his hand out from behind his back. "Oh. Look at that. How'd that get there?"

"Hmm, I wonder. I thought you quit smoking a long time ago."

"Uh, Aggie made me."

This caused Aggie to cackle even more. "Don't you believe him, Sam. How could a little old woman like me make a big strapping man like Jack do anything?"

Sam grinned. As she turned away, the watering can still in her grip, she said, "Just remember Jack, I don't kiss anyone who's mouth tastes like an ashtray."

"D'Oh!" Jack dropped the cigarette and immediately stamped it out.

"I can't believe you caved, " Aggie complained.

"Aggie, when it comes to a choice between kissing Sam and smoking a cigarette, in my book Sam wins every time." He started to walk away from her toward the guest house.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"I'll be right back. I'm gonna brush my teeth. And gargle." He found himself grinning at the sound of Aggie laughter.

The driver of the car at the end of the drive watched him walk away and enter the guest house.

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

Broken Wings, by TracyT

Part 15

See disclaimer in Part 1

Feedback to: 

The next morning, Jack, now smoke-free, kissed Sam as they lay in bed, then stopped. "Hey, listen."

Sam stopped to listen. "I don't hear anything."

"Exactly. No dogs. They all went home, remember? We don't have to have an audience when we… fool around."

Sam grinned, stroking Jack's chest. "Yeah, but I have to admit, I sort of miss them."

"Well….me, too, but they're just across the driveway, you know. It's not like we sent them to Siberia or something."

"True. Now, where were we?" Sam leaned in to kiss him, and as he captured her mouth he rolled her beneath him.

*********

A while later, as Sam was toweling her hair dry, Jack came into the bathroom with cups of coffee. "Hey, I have a surprise for you later."

Sam stopped what she was doing to look at him. "What kind of surprise?"

"A mystery trip surprise."

"Oh? Should I pack a bag?" Sam took a sip of coffee.

Jack picked something out of his cup and said casually, "No, no, it's a day-trip kind of surprise. We should be back tonight. Bring a jacket, though."

Sam shrugged. "Okay, I'm ready to be surprised."

Jack smiled, but Sam thought he looked a little doubtful, too. "I, uh, I'm going to run the Jeep into town and get gas while you get ready, okay?"

"Okay, see you in a bit."

*************

Jack pulled the Jeep up the drive and stopped when he saw Aggie come out the door. "Wish me luck," he said with a grimace.

Aggie nodded. "You're taking a risk here, Jack. Don't push things too far too fast. She may not be ready for that."

"I know. I hope this doesn't blow up in my face." Jack looked worried.

"I'll keep my fingers crossed for you," Aggie said, holding up a hand to show him.

***********

They hit the road about a half hour later. Sam looked happy and relaxed riding beside him in the passenger seat. The Moody Blues played "Tuesday Afternoon" on the radio. All was well. That is until they got closer and closer to their destination. The first time they passed a sign that said, "Vandenberg Air Force Base," she'd frowned, but hadn't made any mention of it. As they drew closer, she began to look more mutinous.

"Jaaack, where are we going?"

"I told you, it's a surprise."

"Jack O'Neill, where are you taking me? 'Cause it sure as hell looks like we're headed to Vandenberg."

"Well…actually we are." Before he could explain she said loudly, "Stop the car."

"Technically it's a Jeep, not a car," This sounded lame even to Jack.

"Then stop the damn Jeep, or I jump." Sam started to act as if she was going to do just that. Jack swerved to the side of the road and stopped with a screech of tires. Sam immediately got out and started stomping down the road the way they had come. Jack jumped out and followed her.

"Sam," She didn't even pause. He caught up and grabbed her arm. "Sam, dammit, stop. It's not what it looks like."

"Well, it looks like you're taking me to Vandenberg against my will, and I told you I was NOT going to go back, didn't I?" She wrenched her arm from his grip, but he just grabbed her again.

"Sam, I would never do that. I was taking you to Vandenberg, yes, but just to see the air show." When she continued to look mutinous he repeated, "Just the air show, I promise."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew you'd refuse outright. I thought, as a pilot yourself, you'd enjoy seeing the planes and such, but I didn't think I could get you there if I told you where it was."

Sam continued to look at him silently for a few minutes, huffing her breath in and out. "You swear that's all we're going to do?"

"I swear. Sam I would never force you to go back if you don't want to." Of course, if this helped her to change her mind, as he hoped it would, that was all for the good, but he'd never tell her that.

"Well, okay, but don't pull any more surprises like this on me again, all right?"

Jack crossed his heart with a finger. "I swear."

***********

As it turned out, Sam had a great time. She loved seeing all the planes, old and new, doing their maneuvers. The Navy's Blue Angels flew over and Sam actually gasped.

"So," Jack said in her ear, "Are you perhaps, enjoying this a little bit?"

Sam grinned at him. "Yeah. I'd forgotten how much I love flying." She leaned against him. "Thanks for bringing me. I just wish you'd told me."

"No more surprises, I swear."

Later, when Jack presented his I.D., they'd been allowed to inspect the planes on the ground and in the hangars. Jack was pleased Sam seemed to be having such a good time. She had seemed so much better, he'd underestimated how much time she'd really need to overcome her ordeal, and he really regretted putting such a scare into her.

As the sun began to set they headed home, stopping along the way for burgers and fries at a drive-in. It was dark as they pulled into the driveway, and Jack looked over to find Sam sleeping next to him. He killed the engine and went around to lift her out of the seat, but she woke up. "Sam, we're home."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, it was a long day."

Sam put a hand on his arm as they headed into the house. "You must be more tired than I am. You drove both ways."

"Yeah, I'm beat. Let's hit the sack." He said with a yawn.

***********

The next morning they got up and showered, and decided to try a little buffet place on the beach for brunch. They got a table on the deck overlooking the ocean, and took their time eating and watching the surf.

After partaking of the omelet bar and discovering the delights hidden by the covered silver dishes warmed by sterno, they decided on fruit for dessert. Jack was glad Sam was eating better than she had before, and had even put back some of the weight she'd lost. Weight she didn't need to lose.

Jack snagged one of Sam's chocolate covered strawberries and took a bite. Then he held out the rest for her to take a bite of. "So, what would you like to do today? Do we plan something or would you rather we hung around home?"

"Well, I have a plan already," Sam said, taking a bite of another strawberry.

"Oh? And what would that be?" Jack asked absently, rather fascinated with the sight of the tip of the strawberry disappearing into Sam's mouth.

"Well, it seems to me we were so tired last night, we just went to bed and slept."

Jack frowned. "Yeah, so?"

"I'm planning on collecting on my rain check, mister."

It took Jack a minute to unravel that one, then he grinned. "Oh. I see. You plan on having your wicked way with me, is that it?" He picked up another strawberry, but Sam grabbed his wrist and slowly took a bite out of it. "You have no idea, Jack O'Neill, no idea."

Jack looked into her eyes for a minute before looking over her shoulder with a raised hand. "Check, please!"

*************

The view was softened and somewhat obscured by the sheer curtains covering the French doors to the bedroom, but the man watching still tensed at what he saw. The couple had obviously just made love and were cuddled together on the bed, talking, kissing and stroking each other's bodies. The man huffed out an angry breath as he watched. He backed up a step and felt something give behind him. A flower pot fell to the ground with a crash. The couple immediately looked up, and the man disappeared around the side of the house before he could be seen.

"What was that?" Sam asked.

Jack frowned. "Not sure. Maybe one of the dogs is messing around out there."

Sam got up and put on her black silk robe, and tied it around her. She went outside and found the mess on the ground. "Oh!" she wailed.

"What?" Jack had pulled on some shorts and followed her out, looking concerned.

"My petunias!" Sam sadly gathered up some of the uprooted and broken flowers in her hands.

Jack ruffled a hand through his hair and squinted down. "What do you think caused the pot to fall?" He looked around the property as if expecting to find a culprit.

"I don't know. A bird landing on the pot, the wind, who knows." Sam looked so sad,

Jack squatted down next to her and put a hand on her wrist. "Listen, we'll fix this. I'll take you to Wal-Mart later and we'll buy another pot. You can replant these, right?"

Sam looked up and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so." Jack grinned and patted her hand. "Okay, then. Let's go get cleaned up and we'll head off to Wally World."

They showered and got dressed, but when Sam came out of the bedroom, Jack was checking the chicken he'd taken out earlier to thaw for supper. He looked up and she could clearly read his mind. "You want to stay here and start supper, don't you?" When Jack started to protest she held up a hand. "No, it's fine. I'm a big girl, I can go to Wal-Mart to buy a flower pot all by myself. You start the grill and I'll be back in a flash."

Jack tossed her the keys. "Thanks, Sam, I promise you a meal of epic proportions." Sam gave him a wink and headed out the door. A few minutes later he heard the Jeep start and pull out of the drive.

As Jack was mixing together a combination barbecue sauce/marinade he'd concocted, listening to "Black Magic Woman" by Santana on the radio, there was a knock at the door. He frowned. Sam wouldn't be back so quickly, it had to be Aggie or Abner. He wiped his hands on a towel, turned down the radio and headed to the door.

As soon as he got the door open, something hit him in the mouth so hard it knocked him down. He lay on the floor for a moment, trying to clear his head, then raised himself up on one elbow and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. He tried for casual and smirked up at the person standing in the doorway, fists clenched at his sides.

"Hey, Pete. What's new?"

Pete towered over him and growled. "You sorry son of a bitch."

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

Broken Wings by TracyT

Part 16

See disclaimer in part 1

Feedback to: 

Jack started to get to his feet when Pete came at him again. Jack held a hand up to ward the other man off. "Ah! You caught me by surprise earlier, don't expect it to be so easy the next time."

Pete stopped in his tracks, breathing heavily. "Did it ever occur to you that while you two were out here playing house, I was back in Colorado out of my mind with worry over Sam? Even Daniel and Teal'c wouldn't tell me anything."

"They didn't know anything, Pete." Jack kept his voice calm and low.

"You just couldn't wait to get your hands on her, could you? You think I haven't seen how you look at her when you think no one else is looking? You claimed you were coming out here to help her and instead you took advantage of Sam when she was at her most vulnerable."

"It wasn't like that." Jack struggled to hold on to his temper.

"Oh? What was it like?"

"I love Sam, Pete, but I never intended for it to go this far. What happened between us wasn't intentional, it just happened."

"So, what? You're saying you regret it? You're saying you're sorry?"

Jack shook his head definitively, and one side of his mouth curled in a smirk. "Nope. Not a chance. I'm not the least bit sorry. She's the best thing that ever happened to me."

Pete advanced on him again, stopped, then did a circle breathing heavily, his hands on top of his head, as if he expected it to blow off at any moment. Come to think of it, Jack decided, that might not be too much of a stretch considering how Pete looked.

Suddenly he turned, "Don't you get it? You had NO RIGHT to take my fiancée away from me. NO RIGHT."

"That's for Sam to decide, isn't it? And since when were you two engaged?"

"We were headed that direction before you interfered."

"It wasn't my interference that made Sam break up with you, Pete. It was the horrible ordeal she went through, or did you forget all that while casting yourself as the injured party in all this?"

"Sam DID NOT break up with me!" Pete bellowed.

"So then, what about the note saying, "'Goodbye Pete', and the returned pendant?"

Pete waved a dismissive hand. "She wasn't in her right mind at the time, that doesn't count." Suddenly he turned on Jack again. "And you took advantage of that." He was jabbing a finger at Jack like a weapon. "You swooped in like a hawk and got her when all her defenses were down. You're a snake, O'Neill."

Jack stuck his hands in his pockets. "I thought I was a hawk."

Pete growled and charged him. They wrestled each other for a moment, then fell out the French doors, landing on the patio outside with a thud. Jack did a quick maneuver that had Pete pinned under him with one arm twisted behind his back.

"Okay, enough fun and games. Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to let you go, and you're going to go back to your car--wherever it is--and leave here. I will tell Sam you were here for a nice visit, and if, and I stress IF she wants to talk to you, I will have her contact you, got it?"

Pete shook his head. "No way. I'm not leaving until I talk to Sam. You have to let me up sometime, O'Neill, and when you do I'm going to beat the crap out of you."

Jack opened his mouth to reply in kind when suddenly there was a deafening boom, and the cavalry arrived in the form of Aggie with her shotgun, and the dogs, who stood in a circle around Jack and Pete, barking their heads off.

"DOGS! SHUT THE HELL UP!" Aggie bellowed. "Just who the hell are you and what are you doing on my property, mister?" Aggie demanded to know. "Jack, you want me to call the cops?"

Jack reluctantly let Pete up. "No, Aggie, that won't be necessary. This is…a friend of Sam's."

"I'm her fiancée, and ma'am, I'll have you know, I'm a cop, too." Pete produced his badge.

"From Denver," Jack added. "And he was NEVER her fiancée." Jack glared at Pete, daring him to contradict him.

"So, this is some kind of police business?" Aggie asked, propping the shotgun butt on the ground.

Jack could see Pete considering answering in the affirmative, and answered for him. "No. It's not. He's here to see Sam."

"And take her back with me," Pete added.

Jack grabbed Pete's arm. "Let's get one thing straight. No way in hell are you taking Sam anywhere unless that's her choice, got it?"

Pete wrenched his arm away. "We'll see about that."

Jack narrowed his eyes even more. "You bet we will."

"Yes, we will," Sam's added her voice to the discussion, approaching the group from the Jeep parked at the top of the drive. "Pete. What are you doing here?" She looked at him warily.

"Sam, thank God." Pete hurried over to her and took her by the arm. "I've come to take you back with me. You need to come home."

Sam pulled away from him and jerked her arm away when he would have grabbed her again. "No. I am home, Pete. This is my home now." Her eyes met Jack's steadily.

"No, don't you see? He's been taking advantage of you all this time. He couldn't wait to get you away from everyone you care about so he could get you to himself."

Sam shook her head. "It's not like that, Pete. You don't understand."

"Oh, I understand all right, he waited until you were vulnerable and took advantage of it."

Sam sighed sadly. "I think I need to talk to Pete alone for a few minutes, okay?" She directed this to Jack. Jack nodded reluctantly, and he and Aggie, along with the dogs, headed up toward the main house. Sam led Pete over to the fence leading down to the beach.

"Listen, Pete…"

"No, Sam, before you say anything, I know you've been through a lot…"

"More than you realize."

"But the best thing for you is to be home, in Colorado Springs, where your friends are, where your job is…"

"I resigned, Pete. I'm not in the Air Force anymore."

Pete looked surprised. "I, I didn't know that. Well, that's okay, then, you can come back to Denver with me."

Sam glanced up toward the main house, Aggie was sitting in the glider smoking, but watching them steadily. Jack was pacing slowly back and forth with an equally unwavering stare.

Sam shook her head. "Pete, I'm sorry, but I can't do that. The woman you were dating, the me I was before, she's gone. It's all different for me now."

Pete shook his head. "No. You've just been traumatized by your experience, we can get you some help and get you back on your feet as soon as we get home."

"Pete. Come here, sit down." They sat on the curb at the edge of the drive. Sam put her hand on Pete's arm. "Listen to me. I was tortured and raped for days. It…I was…" Her eyes filled and she wiped a tear away. Pete put an arm around her in comfort, but remained quiet. "When I left, when I came here, I never intended to come back. I had planned on…well, ending it. I've never been in such a low, dark place, I can't even describe it to you.

Then Jack found me, and at first I just wanted him to go, to leave me to it, but he wouldn't. He's been through almost the same thing, in Iraq, with Ba'al, and he knew what I was going through, He did everything in his power to pull me back from the edge. He wouldn't give up on me, wouldn't let me slip away, and little by little I got better, but that doesn't mean I'll ever be the same. I won't. I'm different now, but I'm alive, and I'm functioning, and I can never thank Jack enough."

"Sam, God, I'm so sorry for what you've been through, but just because you're grateful to him…"

"I love him, Pete. I'm sorry, but I always have. Even before all this happened. We couldn't be together because of chain of command, and I tried to find some happiness with you, I loved you, Pete, but I'll always love Jack." When Pete opened his mouth to object, she added, "You had to sense some of this."

Pete closed his mouth, and looked down, refusing to respond. Sam leaned against him. "I'm sorry, Pete, I never meant to hurt you. What I felt for you was real, but when I left you the note and the pendant, I meant to end it, and I haven't changed my mind. You deserve someone who hasn't seen the things I've seen, hasn't been through the things I've been through, and I hope you find that person very soon."

Pete tilted his head toward her. "That's your last word on the subject? This is what you want?"

Sam wrapped a hand around his arm. "It's what I need, Pete."

Pete put a hand over hers. "All right. If you're sure, I won't fight you on it, but…if you ever need anything, you know where to find me, right? If you ever want someone to punch O'Neill in the nose, I'm your guy."

Sam huffed out a laugh. "I'll remember that." They stood and started to walk toward the road where Pete had left his car. As they passed Jack and Aggie, Aggie put her cigarette down and watched them open-mouthed, while Jack stopped in his tracks, his expression inscrutable.

"Just walking him to his car," Sam assured them. "Be right back."

Pete looked up and said to Jack, "Take good care of her, all right?"

"Always," Jack responded.

As they reached the car, Pete stopped. "Sam, take care, all right?" He took her face in his hands and kissed her gently on the lips. Sam wrapped her fingers around his wrist. "I'm going to be okay, Pete, don't you worry." Pete gave her an awkward nod, got in his car, and with a wave, drove away. Sam stood in the road watching until she couldn't see his car anymore, then she headed back toward the house.

Jack was waiting for her at the end of the drive. "Everything okay?" He asked in a low voice. Sam immediately walked into his arms and held him to her, feeling him pull her close and breathe a sigh of relief. "Everything's fine." She smiled up at him.

"No regrets?"

"Only that I'd forgotten all about Pete since I've been here. I should have sent word to him or something."

They walked toward the house, arms around each other. "He gave me a good shot in the mouth, you know." Jack said, fingering the corner of his broken lip.

***********

All Sam wanted after that was for everything to get back to normal, but although Jack finished his preparations for supper, grilling the marinated chicken and making them a salad to go with it, he turned very quiet. So quiet, in fact, that Sam started to get a little alarmed. She reached over the table and put her hand on his arm. "Jack, are you okay?"

He nodded. "Fine," but Sam wasn't convinced. "What is it?"

Jack shook his head. "Nothing. Let me start clearing up." He stood and started to gather dishes together. Sam got up and blocked his path. "No. Talk to me. What's going on? Is it because Pete came here?"

"Sam, let's not talk about this right now, okay?" He skirted around her and took the plates into the kitchen, dropping them into the sink with more force than was really needed.

"Jack," Sam stood next to him at the sink as closely as she could. "You're scaring me. What's going on?"

Jack stood with his hands gripping the edge of the counter for a moment silently, then he turned to her with a sigh. "I don't want you having any regrets."

Sam shook her head. "Regrets? What kind of regrets?"

Jack put his hands on her waist. "Sam, I know you've been through a lot, but are you sure you want to send Pete away?"

"What are you talking about? Of course I do. I love you."

"Sam, I know you're grateful to me for being here for you, but if you still have feelings for Pete…"

"Jack! Why would you think I still have feelings for Pete?"

Jack wouldn't meet her eyes. "Well, he's someone with a lot less baggage than me, not to mention mileage…"

Sam cupped his face in her hands. "I don't care. It's you I love. It's always been you, Jack, even when I thought there was no hope for us, I always loved you."

He gave he a somewhat sheepish look. "Well, if you're sure…"

Sam kissed him. "I'm sure."

Jack smiled. "Well, good, because I feel the same about you." He folded her in his arms and kissed her passionately.

**********

Their lovemaking that night had a sense of urgency about it. Since they'd become lovers Jack had been so gentle with her, letting her lead the way and not dominating her. Tonight that all changed. He seemed to want to claim her as his own, let her know how scared he'd been that Pete might have convinced her to leave with him. Sam reveled in his touch as he'd nearly ripped her clothes from her and pushed her back on the bed. He'd devoured her mouth, thrusting his tongue inside and mating it with hers as he caressed and stroked her naked body. A month ago this would have scared her to death, but now she savored it. He cupped and squeezed her breasts, pinching and rolling the nipples until she moaned his name loudly. He continued to fondle one breast while he put his mouth to the other, sucking and biting strongly, before giving the same treatment to the other.

He pulled back to rid himself of the rest of his clothing, and she curled her arms over her head, exposing herself to him as she watched. She smiled appreciatively when he finally stood before her very naked and very aroused, breathing heavily. "Look at you," he said in a husky voice. "You are so beautiful." He crawled up the bed toward her.

"So are you," she said softly, taking him in her arms.

He kissed her passionately again, crushing her mouth under his, before working his lips down her neck, and down her body. His fingers caressed her clit, causing her to buck up off the bed, then worked between her folds, testing her readiness.

"God, Sam," He moaned when he found how ready she was for him. He thrust a finger inside her, then two, moving them in and out while he put his mouth to her clit.

Sam grasped his head in her hands and moaned. "Want you. Right now."

He moved up her body and took her mouth, letting her taste herself on his lips. He broke away, and positioned himself at her opening. She reached down to help him, and he surged into her, thrusting as far in as he could.

Soon he was pounding strongly into her, making her whimper and moan with each thrust. His grunts and moans echoing hers. This is how she wanted it to be, he wasn't holding back from her anymore and she loved it. She cried out his name as she went over the edge, and with a roar he followed her over.

*************

"I love you, you know," Sam said softly as she cradled him against her. He raised his head and gave her a tired smile. "Back 'atcha, in spades, ma'am." He kissed her neck and rolled off her. She turned to her side and curled against him, huffing out a happy sigh. "Everything okay with us, then?" She asked.

Jack stroked her hair. "More than okay, I'd say. Pretty fantastic, in fact."

"I'm sorry Pete hit you."

"Not your fault. If the tables were turned, I'd take a shot at him, too."

Sam smiled. "Good to know."

**********

The next few days went by uneventfully. Ronny came and took the Indian to his shop to paint, Jack did the finishing touches on the repairs to Aggie's porch, and Jack and Sam made love to each other every night. It was bliss, as far as Sam was concerned.

Until the night she woke up and Jack wasn't in bed. "Jack?" she called out softly, but there was no answer.

She got up and put on her robe. She heard music coming softly from the direction of the porch and pulled open the French doors to find Jack. He had pulled on a pair of shorts and was sitting on their glider with his long legs stretched out to rest on the porch railing. The red glow of his cigarette flared when he took a drag off of it. The small radio was at his feet, playing the Door's "Riders on the Storm."

"Jack, what's the matter?" Sam wrapped the robe about her more tightly, but didn't venture closer to him.

"Nothing. Go back to bed." He flicked the cigarette butt over the railing and blew out the last of the smoke.

Sam went over to the glider and sank down on it beside him. She leaned against him, expecting him to pull away, but he didn't. "Tell me," She said softly.

Jack was silent for so long she didn't think he would answer, but then he said in a husky voice, "Today would have been Charlie's twenty-first birthday."

Sam sat up. "Oh, Jack." Her heart immediately hurt for him.

"He'd be a grown man now."

Sam leaned back against him, wrapping an arm around him, and burying her face in his neck. "I am so sorry, Jack. I wish I could do something to take your pain away."

He kissed her cheek and held her closer. "You do. All the time. Really. I just need to be alone for a little while, okay?"

"Okay. Come back to bed soon." Sam got up and with one last, sad look, she went back into the house, leaving Jack with "Nights in White Satin" playing on the radio.

************

The next day when she woke up there was a note from Jack on her pillow. It said,: There's stuff for breakfast and lunch in the kitchen. I need some time alone today. I hope you understand. Be back in time for supper. Love, Jack.

Sam got up and looked out the window. The Jeep was gone. She'd give him his space today of all days. She just hoped his time alone helped him.

**********

She spent the day puttering in her garden, reading her science magazines and she even took the dogs for a long walk down the beach, but part of her was always listening for the sound of the Jeep returning. She wondered where he'd gone and what he was doing all day.

Finally, long after the sun had gone down, the Jeep pulled into the drive. Sam, who had been dozing on the couch, leapt to her feet, smoothing her hair down and hurried out the doors to meet him. He got out of the Jeep and took her in his arms. "Thanks for letting me do this." He kissed her lightly.

Sam smiled. "Did it help?" Jack sighed. "Yeah, I did some thinking. I think Charlie would have wanted me to celebrate his day. What do you say we go out to eat and celebrate my son's birthday?"

Sam didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I think that's a great idea. Let me go get changed."

***********

They went to the place they'd seen from the beach. The place with the tiki torches and the grass roof. They had dressed up somewhat. Jack had on a fresh pair of khakis and a black polo shirt, and Sam had put on the one skirt she'd brought with her, and a sleeveless white top. They had a sumptuous dinner of steak and lobster, and toasted Charlie's birthday with glasses of champagne. They headed to the dance floor and danced to a couple songs before Jack pulled away from her. "Be right back," he said with a wink, and headed toward the stage. Sam frowned and watched him talking to the DJ. Soon he was back with a smile on his face, and took her in his arms.

The DJ said over the loudspeaker, "We have a request. My friend Jack over there," he pointed toward them and Jack raised a hand in acknowledgement, "Wants a song played for his lovely friend Sam. Say hello Sam." Sam smiled and mimicked Jack's earlier salute. "This is by the one and only Van Morrison, and Jack says it describes him to a 'T', although Sam may not recognize it 'cause it's from Jack's generation. Hope you all enjoy it. This is "Crazy Love."

Jack took her in his arms and the lights dimmed. Sam listened to the words as a lump formed in her throat.

I can hear her heart beat for a thousand miles  
And the heavens open every time she smiles  
And when I come to her that's where I belong  
Yet I'm running to her like a rivers song

She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love  
She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love

She's got a fine sense of humor when I'm feeling low down  
And when I come to her when the sun goes down  
Take away my trouble, take away my grief  
Take away my heartache, in the night like a thief

She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love  
She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love

Yes I need her in the daytime  
Yes I need her in the night  
Yes I want to throw my arms around her  
Kiss her hug her kiss her hug her tight

And when I'm returning from so far away  
She gives me some sweet lovin' brighten up my day  
Yes it makes me righteous, yes it makes me feel whole  
Yes it makes me mellow down in to my soul

She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love  
She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love

When the song ended Sam looked up at Jack with blurry eyes and a smile and kissed him right there on the dance floor as the other patrons applauded.

**********

Two days later Sam thought she was happier than she'd ever been. She couldn't imagine her life being any more full. Her nightmares were almost non-existent now, and she and Jack were living the perfect life as far as she was concerned.

Ronny had brought the Indian back, and had brought another bike for Jack to ride. Sam thought Jack's long legs looked pretty hot riding the Harley.

They'd ridden up into the mountains and had a picnic there, then they'd ridden along the coast watching the sunset. They finally pulled into the drive after dark and put the bikes in the shed for the night.

They were walking back to the house, arms around each other, discussing their day, when Jack's cell phone rang. They looked in surprise at each other. Phones hadn't intruded on them since they'd been here so it was a surprise to hear Jack's ring tone. He pulled the phone from his pocket and looked at the number. He gave Sam a look and opened the phone. "Daniel? This is a surprise. What's up?" Sam watched him as he listened to Daniel, and saw the expression on his face. When he finally hung up, he gave her a rather grim look. Sam wanted to cry, scream, shout, but all she managed to say was, "You have to go back, don't you?"

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

Broken Wings, by TracyT

Part 17

See disclaimer in Part 1

Feedback to;

"Just for a few days," Jack answered. "There's a mission. Shouldn't take long to wrap up and then I'll be right back here, I promise." He took Sam in his arms and kissed her lightly.

Sam put a hand on his chest, trying to get her emotions under control. Jack held her tighter. "Come with me." He urged.

Sam shook her head. "I haven't changed my mind, Jack. This is where I belong now."

Jack rested his chin on top of her head. "I have to leave tomorrow morning. The Air Force is sending a car for me. They'll take me to Vandenberg to catch a transport back to the SGC." Sam nodded wordlessly.

Jack reached behind him to put his hands around her wrists and bring them forward, setting her away from him a little. "So." He managed a small smile. For our last night for a while, do you want to go out and have supper, or stay home here?"

"Here. I don't want to share you with anyone tonight." Jack nodded and kissed her.

*********

Jack grilled steaks and Sam made a salad to go with it. Although Jack tried to make the table look festive with a sheet for a table cloth and candles, they ate in near silence. The steak was like sawdust in Sam's mouth. She couldn't get rid of the feeling that she was losing Jack, that he wouldn't return if he left here, and she wanted to cry her heart out.

Jack finally put his fork down and covered her hand with his. "Sam, this isn't forever. I'll be back in a few days, just like I said. Abner's in the chess finals at City Hall next weekend and I can't miss that, now can I?" Sam smiled softly at his attempt at humor.

They went out after supper and lay in the hammock watching the sunset. Again they were almost silent. Sam lay with her head on Jack's chest, listening to his heart beat while he combed his fingers slowly through her hair. With the dark came the coolness of the evening, making them shiver in the breeze from the ocean. They got up and went inside, but Jack stopped just inside the door. "Listen, Sam, I need to go talk to Aggie for a moment. I'll be right back."

Sam suspected she knew what he was going to talk to Aggie about. He wanted Aggie to keep an eye on her. Unnecessary, but she didn't make any objection, she just took his hand, kissed him and said softly, "Don't be long." Jack nodded and headed out the door.

Sam stood in the middle of their living room with her arms around herself and did a slow circle, surveying their little place. She looked at the painting of Aggie's house, the Swedish Chef clock she'd bought for Jack. The table he'd set so nicely tonight. Their big-ass TV, the small rug Francesca liked to use when she came to visit. Sam loved their place, but it would lose something vital when Jack left. Her vision blurred and she wiped away the tear that was working its way down her cheek. The door opened and Jack appeared, smiling at her. They held each other for a moment before Sam said, "Do you want to pack tonight?" Jack shook his head. "No. I want to make love to you tonight until I have to go." He cupped the back of her head with his hand and captured her mouth with his.

*********

Their lovemaking that night had an air of desperation to it, as if they were never going to see each other again. Jack woke her twice in the night to make love again, and Sam reveled in his touch, the feel of him inside her, pounding into her as if he wanted to mark her as his. Later they just lay awake in each other's arms, not willing to let go of their moments together.

The next thing she knew, Sam awoke to the sound of Jack in the shower. Her body felt sated, tired and a bit sore. His touch, his scent was all over her, and she loved it. Her mind, however, was just sad. She didn't want to get out of bed. If she did the day would start and Jack would go.

She forced herself to sit up, holding the sheet around her. Jack was going to go whether she was up or not. She put her feet on the floor, and noticed his bag sitting in the chair, already mostly packed. When had he done that? She must have really been out of it.

The door to the bathroom opened and Jack appeared with a puff of steam. He had a towel wrapped around his waist, and his wet hair was in disarray. He met her eyes and made a lame attempt at a smile. Sam did the same. "How did you get packed so fast?" She asked softly.

"A while ago. You were sleeping pretty soundly at the time." He dropped the towel to pull on his briefs, then his khakis. Not his usual shorts and sandals today. He pulled on a navy polo shirt over his head, and scrubbed his hands through his hair in an attempt to dry it.

Sam got up and pulled on her robe. "Do you want me to make you some breakfast? I can put a couple bagels in the toaster."

Jack shook his head. "Not hungry, but thanks." He put a few more items in the bag, not looking at her.

Without thought Sam got up and put her arms around him from behind, laying her cheek on his back. "Sam." His voice was low and husky. He put his hands over hers and held her to him for a moment. "Sam. This is going to be hard enough as it is. Why don't you go take your shower, and we can talk when you get out." He turned in her arms and brushed his fingers through her hair. "Okay?"

Sam looked into his eyes for a moment before breaking away and heading for the shower, sniffling as she went.

**********

When Sam finally came out of the bedroom, Jack had made coffee and had two bagels toasted and on plates for them. "I thought you weren't hungry," she said, taking a seat at the counter.

Jack closed the door to the refrigerator, cream cheese in hand and took the seat next to her. "I'm not, really, but I guess we should eat something."

Sam took a sip of her coffee and picked at her bagel. "When is the car coming?"

Jack looked at his watch. "They should be here in about twenty minutes."

Sam's heart lurched. Twenty minutes. That's all they had left. She put her cup down and stared at her hands until Jack covered them with his. "Sam, come on, it's just a few days." He looked into her eyes beseechingly.

Sam shook her head. "It doesn't feel that way. It feels like If you leave, you won't come back."

Jack put his hands on her shoulders. "I will. I promised you I would and I will. This mission…I have to do this."

Something in his voice struck a nerve with Sam and she looked up into his eyes. "What is the mission, Jack? What's so important you have to go back for it?" Sam knew something was up when Jack suddenly wouldn't meet her eyes. "It's nothing, just, you know, something with … the Asgard. You know Thor."

"Jack," Sam's voice was tight. "What are you doing?" She didn't know why but all the alarm bells in her head were suddenly going off.

Jack got up abruptly and headed for the bedroom. "I told you, it's nothing you need to worry about. We'll talk about it in a few days when I get back. Hey," his voice was a bit muffled in the other room. The next movie on the beach is 'Grease.' You're a big John Travolta fan, right? When I get back we'll go." He came out carrying his bag, his sunglasses in his hand, heading for the door.

Sam got up and intercepted him, blocking his path. "You'd tell me if you were going to do something reckless, wouldn't you?" Her eyes searched his for the answer.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Reckless? Moi? Whatever can you mean?"

"You aren't thinking of, say, slaying some of my dragons for me or anything, right?"

Jack suddenly looked serious. "Sam, I'll be back before you know it."

Sam opened her mouth to answer, but the sound of a vehicle pulling into the drive stopped her. She looked back toward Jack and they exchanged a silent message before the sound of a car door slamming broke the spell.

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

Broken Wings, by TracyT

Part 18

See disclaimer in Part 1

Feedback to: 

Sam turned toward the door, and Jack put a hand on her back and led her outside. An airman was opening the back of a large SUV for Jack's luggage, and came around to take it from him. The two back passenger doors opened and Sam's mouth fell open. "Daniel! Teal'c! She was suddenly crying in earnest, rushing to them and throwing her arms around them. Daniel's voice was muffled when he said a heartfelt, "Hey, Sam," while Teal'c just held her tightly with one arm.

Sam pulled away with a sniffle and a large grin on her face. "Wow. You two look great. I missed you." She hugged them again.

"We missed you, too, Sam," Daniel said softly.

"Indeed. It has been too long, Major Carter." Teal'c intoned.

They stood holding each other until Jack cleared his throat loudly. "So, no hug for me?"

They broke apart with grins on their faces. "Hey, Jack. Long time, no see," Daniel said as he approached Jack and gave him a hug, patting him on the back strongly. Teal'c merely inclined his head regally and said "O'Neill. It is good to see you, my friend."

"So," Daniel said as he broke away from Jack. "This is where you two have been hiding out, eh? Do we get the five cent tour?" Teal'c raised an inquiring eyebrow as well.

"Uh, sure, come on in." Jack told the airman to wait and gestured for Daniel and Teal'c to follow him. He went back inside, letting the others follow.

Daniel and Teal'c looked around the place, pointing out the painting of Aggie's house and the grounds, and the Swedish Chef clock. Sam and Jack exchanged a look when Daniel and Teal'c exchanged looks in seeing there was only one bedroom and only one bed, but no comment was made from either side.

The door was pushed open and Francesca appeared. "Ooh, look out," Jack said, scooping her up in his arms. "Don't let her looks fool you, she'll tear you apart."

Teal'c merely raised a disbelieving eyebrow at this, but Daniel held out his hand and a wiggling Francesca gave it a lick.

"Yeah," Daniel said, "I can see you have a vicious watch dog protecting you."

Sam smiled and took Francesca from Jack. "She's going to keep me company while you're gone, won't you, Francy?" Francesca licked Sam's nose in agreement.

Daniel's smile faded. "You…You're not coming with us, Sam?"

Sam suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Uh, no. Jack's going, I'm not."

"But, I thought you might be ready to come back. We've really missed you, Sam, and the SGC needs you."

"Daniel," Jack's voice held a warning.

"Daniel," Sam said in a softer tone. "I'm sorry, but that's just not going to happen. I've resigned. I'm staying here."

Daniel didn't comment but gave her a thoughtful look. "Uh, okay. I can't say I'm not disappointed, but whatever you decide."

Jack cleared his throat loudly. "Hey, shouldn't we get going?"

They went out to the car, where Daniel and Teal'c gave Sam another hug. "Keep in touch, Sam. We miss you," Daniel said softly.

"Indeed. The SGC is not the same without you, Major Carter." Teal'c sounded sad.

"I will. It was great to see you guys." Daniel and Teal'c climbed back in the car, letting Jack and Sam say their goodbyes.

The lump returned to Sam's throat as she looked at Jack. He put a hand on her neck and leaned in to say, "Five days at the most, then I'll be back and we'll go see that movie on the beach, okay?"

Sam nodded. "Take care of yourself."

"You, too." Jack looked into her eyes for a moment, then forced himself to turn away.

Sam watched him climb into the passenger seat of the SUV. The airman started the car, turned in around in the drive and then started to pull out of the drive.

************

Jack turned back to look at Sam as the car headed up the drive. Suddenly he said sharply, "Stop."

"Sir?" The airman slowed the car.

"Jack?" Daniel said.

"Stop the car. I forgot something." The airman stopped the car and Jack jumped out and ran back to Sam, hauling her into his arms and kissing her passionately.

"Oh, boy," Daniel said. It was one thing to suspect Sam and Jack had developed an intimate relationship, it was another to witness it first-hand. They turned back to let the couple have their privacy, and Teal'c gave the airman a pointed look so he would do the same--which he did with an awkward expression.

Jack pulled away from Sam reluctantly. "Don't forget, I love you and nothing is going to stop me from coming back to you, okay?"

Sam nodded, tears in her eyes. "I love you, too. Don't do anything reckless, okay?"

"Who me?" Jack grinned. He stroked her cheek with a thumb, leaned in to touch foreheads with her, and kissed her one more time. "Hey, don't run off with the mailman or anything while I'm gone, okay?"

Sam huffed out a laugh. "Well, our mailman happens to be a woman, so not much chance of that."

"Oh. Yeah. Right. Well, good. Love you." Jack kept a hand on her neck, kissed her on the forehead and then ran back to the car.

Sam stood in the driveway watching the car until it turned onto the road, and then Jack was gone.

*************

The next day or so was hard for Sam. She didn't know quite what to do without Jack there. She'd finished work on the motorcycle, so she didn't have that to do, she'd finished reading her science magazines, and the plants were doing fine, aside from the occasional watering they needed. She took the dogs for a walk on the beach every day, but for the most part found herself at loose ends, wondering how Jack was doing.

Aggie had her up to the house for supper and would come see how she was doing now and then, but Sam told he r she didn't need to fuss over her. Aggie gave her a serious look. "I miss him too, you know."

Sam nodded. "I know. He'll be back soon." But the words sounded hollow to her.

On the third day the phone rang. "Hey Sam."

"Jack! It's so good to hear your voice." Sam was nearly in tears.

"Yours, too. How are you doing?"

"Okay," she said, but sounded unconvincing, even to her.

"Just okay?"

"Until you get back, yeah."

Jack sighed. Listen. We gate out tomorrow. Did you do any of the things on the list?"

"List?" Sam was confused. "What list?"

Jack made and exasperated sound. "The list I left on the kitchen counter. That list."

Sam frowned and went to the counter, finding an envelope with "Sam" written across the front. "I never even noticed this."

"Well, open it."

Sam did and found a letter inside that said, "Itinerary for Sam While I'm Gone." Each day for the next five days was spelled out with ideas for things she could do. "You made me an itinerary?"

"You've been wandering around with nothing to do, haven't you?"

"No…no, not at all."

"Liar, liar, pants on fire."

"Well…maybe a little."

"Uh huh. Figured. Read it over."

The first item on the list was, "Listen to our favorite radio show each morning between 7 and 9 am while you have breakfast." Jack had grown fond of a classic rock radio station and the crazy DJ's that hosted the morning show.

"Why do you want me to listen to the radio every day?"

"You'll see." Jack said cryptically.

Sam read over the list, finding herself actually liking the idea of some of the ideas and getting excited about doing them. "Jack, I don't know what to say. Thank you."

"Just pretend I'm there doing all that with you, okay?"

"I'll try, but I miss you a lot, you know."

Jack sighed again. "I miss you, too. I should wrap this mission up in a couple days and be back there before you know it."

Sam sighed, too. "Okay, be careful."

"Always. Love you."

"Love you, too."

Sam stared sadly at the phone for few seconds after she'd hung up, then slowly placed it back in its cradle.

************

The next morning Sam was munching a cinnamon roll from Leo's. A cinnamon roll that had come with the dozen Jack had ordered she get and take home with her. The radio show was going, and the Doors had just sung "Light My Fire." The DJ came on and announced he had some e-quests to do. E-quests were requests made via email, and they played them every morning.

"Our first e-quest comes from someone in the military. Seems his name is Jonah and he's about to ship out for a while. He wants to send out a little something for his girl, Thera, to let her know how he feels about her. In fact, he's sent us a list of songs to play for her for the next week or so to let her know how much he already misses her."

Sam nearly dropped her cinnamon roll. She turned toward the radio with a gasp. The DJ went on. "This is a little something from the Way-Back Machine by Paul McCartney. In fact, it's his first solo hit after he left the Beatles. It's the live version of a song called, 'Maybe I'm Amazed.'"

Sam found her vision blurring as she listened to the song. She was both smiling and wiping tears away when it ended.

Over the next few days Jack had them play different songs for her under the "Jonah and Thera" guise. They played Billy Joel's "You May Be Right (I May Be Crazy)", which made her smile, then "She's Got a Way," which made her cry. "Moon Dance" by Van Morrison, which was one of their favorites and made her smile remembering dancing to it with Jack in their little living room. The next day they played a song that really hit home for her. It was Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call it The Blues."

Don't wish it away  
Don't look at it like it's forever  
Between you and me I could honestly say  
That things can only get better

And while I'm away  
Dust out the demons inside  
And it won't be long, before you and me run  
To the place in our hearts where we hide

And I guess that's why they call it the blues  
Time on my hands could be time spent with you  
Laughing like children, living like lovers  
Rolling like thunder under the covers  
And I guess that's why they call it the blues

Just stare into space  
Picture my face in your hands  
Live for each second without hesitation  
And never forget I'm your man

Wait on me girl  
Cry in the night if it helps  
But more than ever I simply love you  
More than I love life itself

Again, Sam found herself crying. She wondered where Jack was and what he was doing.

On the fifth day Sam found herself waiting for a phone call that would tell her he was back on Earth and okay, but the phone never rang. She waited all day again on the sixth day and still no call. She actually called the SGC and talked to General Hammond, who was glad to hear from her but told her SG-1 had not returned at their scheduled time, and had not contacted them.

"Do you think something has gone wrong?" She asked.

"Now, we don't know that yet," The General said in his soothing voice. "Their mission may just be taking longer than expected, although I am a bit worried that we can't contact them. I don't want to jump to conclusions until I know something definitive."

Days seven and eight went by with no word, either. On day nine, an Air Force SUV pulled into the drive and Sam, who had been reclining in the hammock, jumped up with her heart in her throat. Was it Jack?

She ran to the car, the door opened, and Daniel got out. No one was with him, and he looked very serious.

"Daniel. What…where's Jack?"

"Sam," Daniel took her hands. "Jack's been hurt. I wanted to come tell you myself instead of making a phone call."

Sam squeezed Daniel's hand in alarm. "Hurt? How? How bad?"

"He took a staff blast to the shoulder. He's in the infirmary, and he told us not to tell you, but I thought you should know, and the General agreed."

Sam thought for a moment and then said, "I'm going back with you."

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

Broken Wings, by TracyT

Part 19

See disclaimer in Part 1

Feedback to; 

Sam was staring out the window of the transport plane, surrounded by the roar and vibration of the plane's engines, when a Styrofoam cup appeared in her line of vision. She looked up to see Daniel silently holding an offering of coffee, and took it from him with a small smile. "Thanks."

He took the seat next to her and put a hand on her arm. "Sam," he had to nearly shout to be heard. "Are you sure about this?"

"I thought you wanted me to come back."

"I, I do, it's just if you're not ready…"

Sam got a determined look on her face. "I have to see Jack. He took care of me all that time, I'm going to take care of him now."

Daniel looked at her silently, then nodded. "Okay. Just remember we're here for you. Whatever you need."

Sam covered Daniel's hand with her own. "Thanks, Daniel. I know you have my back."

Daniel smiled and took a sip of his coffee, then glanced at his watch. "Shouldn't be too much longer before we land."

"Daniel, tell me something."

Daniel looked indulgent. "Anything."

"What was the mission?"

Daniel sat up quickly, sloshing his coffee. He wiped at his shirt with a cocktail napkin. "Uh, anything but that."

"Why? What's so secret I can't know?"

Daniel stopped wiping and looked into Sam's eyes. Then he sighed. "Oookay. Jack will kill me, but you're bound to find out anyway." Sam gave him an encouraging look, and his eyes danced away from hers, fixating on the window. "It was Ba'al. Jack called me about a month back and asked me to let him know when we'd found Ba'al. Well, one of him, anyway. It's so hard to tell them all apart."

Sam pursed her lips tightly. "I knew it. I knew he was doing some damned 'way of the warrior' revenge thing for me."

Daniel smirked. "Is that at all like a 'damned Jaffa revenge thing?'"

Sam returned the smirk. "As it turns out, very similar.."

"Don't be too angry at him, Sam, he almost got himself killed."

"And that's what makes me so angry. I almost lost him because of this."

Daniel patted her hand. "Well, Dr. Lam says he's going to be fine, but he took a pretty good hit. If it's any consolation, he gave as good as he got."

"What do you mean?"

Daniel gave her a dry smile. "One Ba'al down, about a gajillion to go."

"You got him?" Sam was astounded.

Daniel shrugged. "For what it's worth. We don't know if this is the one who attacked you, or just one of the crowd, but yeah, we got him. Right before one of his Jaffa got Jack. I'm afraid Jack let himself get a little distracted this time, and he didn't see the Jaffa until it was too late."

"Distracted? How?"

"He and Ba'al decided to trade insults." Daniel waved a hand. "All very dramatic. The Ba'al in question decided to taunt Jack about what he, or one of his copies, had done to you, and Jack grabbed a staff weapon from a dead Jaffa and said, 'This is for Sam, expletive, expletive.' Then he shot him. It wasn't pretty. Then a very live Jaffa snuck in behind us and got Jack. Teal'c took him out."

"My God, Daniel, you all took such a risk. I could have lost all of you." She squeezed him arm tightly.

"Well, as luck would have it, we're fine. Well, all but Jack, that is. He's currently so grouchy half the nursing staff refuse to tend to him, and Dr. Lam has threatened him with either a large hypodermic needle or a daily enema--or both."

Sam grinned. "So, he's getting better, then?"

"Oh yeah, I'd say so."

**************

It was strange being back in the mountain. As they reached the first check point, the SF's on duty came to attention and saluted her. "Welcome back, Major Carter. If I may say so, it's good to see you."

Sam returned the salute and smiled. "Thank you, airman. It's good to be back." And it was. She found she'd missed the sounds sights and smells of the place. Missed the familiar faces she saw as she headed for the infirmary with Daniel.

As they reached the infirmary level the doors slid open to reveal General Hammond, beaming at her. "Major Carter," he said softly and simply.

"General Hammond," without hesitation she gave him a hug, which he returned with interest.

"We've missed you around here, Major. Your father has been asking about you."

With a pang of guilt she thought of her dad. She hadn't even thought to contact him since all this began. "Is there a way I could talk to him while I'm here, sir?"

Hammond gave her a short nod. "I'll arrange it. Jacob would never forgive me if I didn't."

Sam felt relieved. "Thank you, sir."

"Don't mention it, Major. "I'll let you go see Colonel O'Neill now. I don't hear any commotion from that quarter, so he may be asleep." With a wink he put a hand on her shoulder briefly and headed back toward the control room.

**************

Sam peered quietly around the curtain. Jack was indeed asleep. His shoulder was heavily bandaged, and an intravenous drip was attached to his arm. She gave Daniel a glance and he jerked his head toward Jack, indicating it was okay to go to him. She went to his side and gently brushed his hair back from his brow.

Without opening his eyes, Jack murmured, "Too many cinnamon rolls, too many curly fries. I would have been faster on my feet if I wasn't weighed down by junk food."

Sam grinned and gave him a peck on the forehead. He opened his eyes. "Which wouldn't have been a problem if you hadn't gone tilting at my windmills, you know." She said softly.

Jack frowned. "Daniel told you? Daniel!" Daniel held his hands up and started to back away. Sam intervened. "Don't blame Daniel. General Hammond would have told me if he hadn't. Someone would have told me, and I would have come looking for answers if Daniel hadn't come to get me."

Jack gave Daniel a look. "You went and GOT her? Have you heard of a telephone?"

Daniel shrugged. "I didn't think this was news that should come over the telephone, so I made a little trip." When Jack opened his mouth to reply, Daniel raised a hand and wiggled his fingers. "Well, I'll leave you two alone. Bye!" And he was gone.

"Coward!" Jack shouted.

Jack sighed and it seemed he braced himself before looking into her eyes. "You gonna yell at me?"

Sam huffed out a laugh. "I do not yell. Scold maybe, but not yell."

"Well, okay, then. As long as you don't yell." He reached over and covered her hand with his. "How you been, Sam?"

"Well, good, except for missing you. The place isn't the same without you. I'm not the same without you."

Jack leaned up and kissed her softly. "Well, thanks, that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me, I think."

Sam stroked his hair back again. "It's true. Aggie and the dogs miss you, too."

"I'll be back as soon as Doc Lam springs me from here. Have I missed 'Grease' yet?"

"Yep. Three days ago."

"D'oh. Did you go?"

Sam shook her head. "Nope. Didn't feel like it if you weren't there."

"Sam…"

Just then the curtain was pulled back and Dr. Lam appeared. "Major Carter." She smiled. "I thought it was unusually quiet over here." Jack grimaced. "I'm afraid you're visit is going to have to be a bit short tonight. I gave the Colonel a large dose of morphine just before you arrived, and it should be taking effect any time now."

Jack raised a hand. "Gettin' that floaty feeling already, doc."

Sam took Jack's hand in hers. "I'll just stay until he goes to sleep, okay?"

Dr. Lam nodded. "Fine. Anything to keep him quiet." With a pointed look at Jack she disappeared back behind the curtain.

Sam grinned at him. "I hear you're not being the most cooperative patient."

"Who? Me?" Jack's voice was just a bit slurred, and his eyelids were heavy. "I'm a cream puff around here."

Sam snorted. "That's not what the nurses say. They've all gone to General Hammond and demanded combat pay."

It was Jack's turn to snort, but he didn't respond, he just looked very drowsy. Sam got up and kissed him softly on the lips. "I love you, you know."

"Yeah," Jack's voice was faint. "Lubyoutoo," and then he was out.

***********

Sam woke up in a panic. She'd dreamt of Ba'al again for the first time in a long time. Dreamt of being pinned to his spider web, and then she'd awakened in pure, suffocating darkness. She fumbled for the lamp beside the bed, but knocked the alarm clock and glass of water onto the floor before she managed to get it lit.

She was in her base quarters, and her heart was beating so hard it was as if it was trying to escape her chest. She was suffocating, couldn't think, and without thought she got up and stumbled for the door with only one goal in mind. She had to get to Jack.

Luckily she encountered no one on her way to the infirmary, but the nurse on duty rose from her desk as Sam entered in her pajamas. "Major Carter? Can I help you?" Sam ignored her and headed right for Jack's bed. She pulled back the curtain, and went to his side, but he was asleep. She wiped a tear away, and stood looking down at him, not wanting to disturb him, but needing him so badly it hurt.

***********

A while later Sam awoke to someone stroking her hair. She'd pulled a chair up to Jack's bed and lay her head on his stomach. It was so comforting she must have fallen asleep soon after. She raised her head and looked into Jack's eyes.

"Bad dream?" His voice was husky. Sam nodded. Jack pulled back the covers to invite Sam to join him. "You'll be more comfortable here." Sam crawled in beside him and lay with her head on his chest on the uninjured side. She sighed. "I missed this."

Jack kissed the top of her head. "Me, too." He kissed the top of her head. "Thanks for taking the risk to come back here just to check on me. I know what it means to you."

"Always," Sam murmured.

In minutes they were both asleep again.

********

A little while later, General Hammond entered the infirmary at the duty nurse's request. She showed him the couple sleeping in the hospital bed with a look that said she demanded he do something. Hammond sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "Leave them be for now. We'll deal with this in the morning." When the nurse looked dubious, he added, "That's an order, nurse."

***********

Sam woke up to the sound of the day shift arriving for work. Jack was sleeping very soundly, so she carefully removed his arm from around her, and slowly got out of the bed. He didn't stir. She peeked around the curtain, glad that no one was in sight, and scurried back to her quarters, encountering only Walter, on his way in. The unflappable corporal, just saluted her with his coffee cup, told her it was good to see her again, and headed on down the hallway, for which Sam was unutterably grateful.

After she took her shower and dressed she went back to check on Jack, but he was still sleeping, so she wandered down to the lab. Dr. Lee and Dr. Felger were hard at work on something, and judging from their stubbly faces, they'd been at it all night. They greeted her warmly, though, and immediately wanted to show her the artifact SG-13 had brought back from P4X-555.

"It's, well, it's supposed to be a power source of some kind," Dr. Lee explained. "Or maybe a weapon, we're not sure.' He handed her what looked like a large, green crystal carved with some kind of ancient writing. "SG-13 says the natives claim it puts off a glow that mows down invading armies that threaten them, and during peaceful times they used it for heat and light for homes, but we can't get it to do a darn thing."

Sam examined it closely. "Why did the natives allow SG-13 to take this with them? Don't they need it?"

"Uh, it's sort of a spare." Felger said. "Apparently these crystals grow like, well, weeds in the caves on the planet. Only the natives know about it."

Sam turned it over. "Was it on any kind of a base when it was working?"

"Yes," Dr. Lee answered. "But we believe the base was largely ceremonial. Honoring the gods who provide the crystals, stuff like that."

"Hmmm, I don't know. Remember the Crystal Skull?"

"You mean the one that was like the one Daniel's grandfather found in Belize? The one Rothman thought was just a hunk of glass?" Felger snorted.

"Actually, in a way, I agree with Dr. Rothman's assessment."

Both Felger and Lee first looked astounded, then disgusted. "You think it's a paper weight?" Lee said.

Sam grinned. "Well, no, actually, I think it's a light bulb."

Both men snorted. "Get out," Felger chuckled.

"No, really. Think about it. You're an alien. You come to this planet and happen to find a light bulb burning in a floor stand. You're amazed. You don't have anything like this on your planet, so you want to take this wonderful light source home with you. Somehow you manage to get it unscrewed from the base…"

"Without burning your fingers," Felger interjected. Sam grinned.

"Right . Without burning your fingers, and you take it back to your planet. But once you get back, you can't get the darn thing to work. You put your best scientists on it, but the light bulb won't light. Why not?"

"Well, you'd need a power source for it that would….Oh. I get it." Lee plucked the crystal from Sam's hand and hurried off. Felger just stood there looking at her.

"I don't get it."

Sam cocked her head to the side. "Felger, no lamp, no light. You gotta plug it in." She saw the understanding break though. His face brightened. "Oh. Oh." He mumbled something incoherent and hurried off after Dr. Lee, a huge grin on his face.

Feeling suddenly very pleased with herself, Sam decided she would join Daniel and Teal'c for breakfast in the commissary.

***********

A few days later Jack awoke to find Sam sitting in the chair next to his bed, totally unaware of him. She had a worried look on her face, and he could almost hear the wheels turning inside her head.

"Hey," he said softly. Sam immediately turned toward him.

"Hey yourself. Sleep well?"

"Yeah, but all that thinking woke me up."

"What?"

Jack gestured toward her. "All those wheels and gears turning in your head made such a racket they woke me up. What's up?" His concern grew when she looked away from him. He grabbed her hand, garnering her attention again.

"C'mon, spill, what are you thinking so hard about?"

Sam sighed. "It's just…I'm not sure…"

"Sam, you're not going to lose me, lose what we had, if you decide you want to come back." Sam gave him a surprised look. "Are you amazed at my awesome psychic powers?" He grinned.

"How did you know?" She was clearly bewildered.

"Because, I've had the same thoughts and I'm way ahead of you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I've been getting reports about you puttering around your lab, bossing the other scientists around, you know, just for fun."

Sam's mouth dropped open. "I do not."

"Okay, whatever you want to call it, but you're getting back into the swing of things again, am I right?"

Sam almost looked embarrassed. "Well, yeah."

"So, I'm going to have a talk with Hammond. What we have is too important to end, and I'm going to call in a few markers from saving the world a half dozen times or so and see what we can arrange, okay?"

Sam looked very relieved, then a shadow crossed her face again. Jack squeezed her hand. "What?"

"Do you…does Ba'al lose if I come back here?"

"Oh, Ba'al loses big-time if you come back, and he loses more if you and I continue our relationship. I'd say he'd be so far down he'd have to look up to see the gutter, you know?"

Sam squeezed Jack's hand back and grinned. "Okay, then." The smile faded from her face. Jack made a sound of frustration. "What now?"

"It's just…Aggie, Abner, the dogs, our little place." She looked distressed.

Jack's smile faded, too. "Yeah. I know. It was pretty great, wasn't it? I'll talk to Aggie. Maybe she'll let us come back now and then and stay in the guest house, you know, like a time-share or something. Would that let us have our cake and eat it, too?"

Sam smiled but it was a little sad. "Yeah, but it won't be the same."

"I know, but it will still be good, right?"

Sam kissed the back of Jack's hand and nodded.

************

A week and a half later Sam returned from her walk on the beach with the dogs. As she got to the top step she smiled. The sound of Deep Purple singing "Hush" was pounding out of the guest house, and she could just picture Jack keeping time on a pot or pan with his spoon.

Aggie was sitting in her glider smoking, and raised a hand to Sam. Sam walked over to her. "You and Jack all packed?"

"Almost. Jack's fixing our farewell dinner, and then we'll finish. Thanks for letting us leave a lot of the stuff in the house. Tell Ronny he's welcome to use any of it when he visits."

"No sense in you dragging it all back to Colorado, just to haul it all back when you come visit. And you will come visit, won't you?" Aggie looked almost pleadingly into Sam's eyes.

"Oh, of course we will. We're going to miss it here. Miss you and Abner and the dogs." Sam scooped Francesca up and gave her a hug. Francesca wiggled to get down, so Sam set her on the drive, where she trotted over to curl up at Aggie's feet. "You know if you need anything, you can call me or Jack at the number we gave you and we can be here in no time, right?"

Aggie got up and gave Sam a hug. "You and Jack are just like family, you know?" She sniffled as she pulled away. "You call me if you need anything, too, you hear?"

Sam sniffled, too. "You bet."

"Hey Aggie," It was Jack, coming toward them with a red oven mitt on one arm, a wooden spoon in the other. "You gonna join us for supper?"

"Well, I don't know. What's on?"

"Chicken Parmesan. One of my specialties."

"Ooh, one of my favorites. I'll wash up and be right there." Aggie hurried into the house.

Jack put an arm around Sam and led her back to the guest house. "Our last night here--for a while."

Sam put her head on his shoulder. "Yeah. I loved it here. And I love you." She kissed him quickly. "I can't tell you what this time here has meant to me. That you would come and save me like that."

"Sam, I love you, and you know my motto, I never leave anyone behind. Especially you."

Jack leaned down to kiss Sam, and they headed back into the house.

Fin


End file.
